As Editor of Travel Weekly, what does a day in your life look like?
I begin the day by seeing what’s happening in the industry but also in the news in general to see where things are at. I’ll then go through the inbox of press releases and email correspondence before having a chat with the two journalists I work with to figure out what we want to cover first thing in the morning and get those stories turned around and published.

After that, I start looking at more features and bigger picture stories, trends in the industry, people who would be interesting to talk to in the industry and now, specifically around World Pride and diversity.

You recently relocated to Sydney from New Zealand after 15 years at NewsHub. Is there anything different about the Australian and New Zealand media cycle that strikes you?
I’ve found there’s a big difference. I feel like a story in the news cycle here lasts a bit longer - I’ve noticed you can see a story pop up one morning and it will still be on TV the following day. Whereas, I think in New Zealand, you’d be lucky if the story would be on again that night.

I actually think New Zealand punches above its weight in terms of the news industry - it’s a strong one. And there is definitely a difference in how news is presented.

You’ve covered the travel beat on numerous occasions and at different points in your professional life. How have you seen the coverage of travel and the industry change throughout the course of your career?
I’ve seen it go from very busy, complacent and successful pre-COVID, where it was just going to be this huge money-maker for the rest of eternity, no matter what you did.

Then, all of a sudden, there was the uncertainty of COVID and it was kind of like treading water for a while. How are things going to go? Are people going to want to travel? I think now, there’s a certainty that things will return (not necessarily to the levels they were at) but the uncertainty is around when things will reach an affordable level. The biggest part is airfares are a lot more expensive than they used to be. But as an industry that lost billions of dollars during the pandemic, you can forgive them for wanting to make as much back now as they can.

As you mentioned, affordability and the cost of living are ongoing concerns right now. How does Travel Weekly cover this?
If we do, it is from the perspective of how it affects people travelling. People that used to go on a family vacation once a year probably don't right now, which does take a huge part out of the market. Pre-pandemic, travel was so accessible. You could go to London return for AU$900 if you wanted to. The number of families that can go away, even just to the Gold Coast for a weekend, has reduced.

What stories are you keeping an eye on for 2023?
It will be the affordability - definitely airfares and how long these high prices can go on until it starts affecting the number of people booking. And I think consumer confidence. The industry seems very confident that things are on their way back but people are still feeling safe staying in their home country rather than travelling, so it will be interesting to see in 12 months how comfortable people are with getting on a plane and travelling to the other side of the world.

I think the biggest factor will be families wanting to reunite, which is still happening because not everyone can afford airfares at the moment. So again, I think affordability is going to be the main focus this year.