Media Advisory Panel 2026-2027
The Inspire Global Media Advisory Panel brings together experienced travel editors, journalists, broadcasters, photographers and creators from across the media landscape.
Drawing on their collective experience, Panel members help ensure the Inspire Global Media Marketplace & Awards remain relevant, credible and responsive to the changing needs of travel media. They provide independent insight on the Awards categories, entry criteria, submissions and judging process, as well as the wider Marketplace and thought-leadership programme.
Alex Outhwaite
TV HOST, JOURNALISTAlex Outhwaite - TV Host
I'm an award winning TV Presenter & travel journalist with travel shows broadcast on Amazon Prime, Discovery Plus, Travelxp and SKY.
Alex is the host & director of 'So You Think You Know' which won 'Broadcast Programme of the Year' at the Trav Media Awards 2024, whilst 'Off The Grid' was shortlisted for Travel Programme of the Year at the Indian Telly Awards.
Writing, speaking & video clients include BBC Travel, National Geographic Traveller, Wanderlust, Business Insider, Flashpack & Love Exploring.
Chris Haslam
THE SUNDAY TIMESChris Haslam - The Sunday Times
The role of Chief Travel Writer at The Times and Sunday Times demands extraordinary versatility, hugely varied knowledge and a contacts book spanning the world - not to mention an understanding of what readers want, on their smart phones, tablets and from their print paper.
Karen Edwards
WRITER, AUTHOR, EDITORKaren Edwards - Travel Journalist
Karen is an editor and writer with over 20 years of experience working for national titles
• Specialising in responsible travel, music & culture, and environment & sustainability
• Experienced commissioning editor in print and digital editorial
• Author of The Responsible Traveller (2022), The Planet Friendly Kitchen (2021) and The Little Book of Activism (2021), published by Summersdale
• 20+ years interviewing artists and high level talent
• Media consultancy for new and established artists
• Commercial content writer and commissioning editor
Passionate about driving education and positive impact through storytelling.
Kav Dadfar
JRNY MAGAZINEKav Dadfar - JRNY Magazine
Kav is the co-founder of the award-winning JRNY Travel Magazine. As a writer and photographer, over the years his images have appeared in publications around the world including JRNY, Condé Nast, National Geographic, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Daily Mail, The Express, The Guardian and many more.
Lily Girma
TOURISM LENSLily Girma - Tourism Lens
Lebawit* Lily Girma is the founder of Tourism Lens. She is currently a full-time travel news reporter at Bloomberg Pursuits— the lifestyle arm of Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek—as well as a freelance award-winning journalist. Lebawit counts more than 15 years of experience in the travel industry reporting on global tourism with a focus on sustainability, for business and consumer-facing travel publications.
This former corporate attorney ditched her Washington DC office for the road and a new career in travel storytelling in 2008, and her writing and photography have been published in major publications: BBC, Conde Nast Traveler (US and UK), CNN, National Geographic Traveller UK, Travel & Leisure, Sierra, Lonely Planet, and The Guardian, among others, plus past in-flight magazines such as Delta Sky and MorningCalm(Korean Air).
Meera Dattani
ADVENTURE.COMMeera Dattani - Adventure.com
Meera is a senior editor at digital publication Adventure.com, a freelance travel and culture journalist and the founder and host of Travel Writing Webinars, affordable professional development sessions for travel journalists.
She covers emerging destinations, history and culture, food heritage, Indigenous tourism, wildlife/conservation, and positive impact travel. She chairs, moderates and speaks on panels, and served on the Board of the British Guild of Travel Writers as Events Director (2020-2022) and Chair (2022).
Bylines include Condé Nast Traveller, Wanderlust, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, Telegraph, Adventure.com, Roadbook, Travel Weekly, Rough Guides, Nat Geo Traveller, Evening Standard, Guardian and others.
She enjoys curating panels and chairing debates on themes around travel/travel writing and pitching to decolonising/modernising travel writing to solo travel and sustainable travel. As a speaker, moderator or panellist, she's spoken at the Royal Geographic Society, British Library for Jaipur Literature Festival, IWTTF (Women in Travel CIC), TravMedia IMM, Destinations Show, Condé Nast Traveller Luxury Fair, Brand USA, Propel Forward, SATW (Society of American Travel Writers), Adventure Travel Film Festival, BGTW (British Guild of Travel Writers), Social With Media, Wanderful and others.
Pat Riddell
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER (UK)Pat Riddell - National Geographic Traveller (UK)
As editor of the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK) since 2010, Pat has overseen the launch, growth and expansion of the brand from print into digital, social, events and partnerships.
Pippa Jacks
TTG MEDIAPippa Jacks - TTG Media
Richard Hammond
GREEN TRAVELLER MEDIARichard Hammond - Green Traveller Media
Richard manages a network of writers, photographers and videographers for production agency Green Traveller Media, which specialises in promoting sustainable transport and tourism through words, photos and film.
Shafik Meghji
TRAVEL WRITER, AUTHOR, EDITORShafik Meghji - Travel Journalist
Shafik is an award-winning journalist, travel writer, author, editor, photographer and broadcaster with more than 20 years of experience working for newspapers, magazines, publishers, tech firms, charities and NGOs, including the BBC, Wanderlust, the Guardian, Google, DK, Rough Guides, Lonely Planet, Time Out, National Geographic Traveller, the Evening Standard, Private Eye, the Runnymede Trust and Amnesty International. He was shortlisted for Travel Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards in 2022 and 2023.
Shafik has worked on all seven continents, co-authoring more than 60 guidebooks, travel and history books, and anthologies, specialising in Latin America and South Asia and with a focus on responsible travel, food, history, culture and human rights. Published in March 2022, his debut book Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year, the British Guild of Travel Writers Narrative Travel Book of the Year and the Great Outdoors Book of the Year.
His second book, Small Earthquakes: A Journey Through Lost British History in South America, will be published by Hurst on 24 July – pre-order now at linktr.ee/ShafikMeghji