our team

Stephen Morton
Founder / CEO / Managing Editor

Stephen Morton has spent nearly five decades shaping how the travel industry works, talks, and sells itself. From the family-run agency of 1976 to today’s digital frontier, Morton has been at the front of the queue, often long before anyone else knew there was a queue.

By the mid-nineties, he was dragging Agents Support Systems online while the industry still worshipped the fax machine. In 2001, he launched e-Travel Blackboard (eTB), a daily newsletter that became Australia’s most read industry bulletin and expanded across New Zealand, Asia, the Americas, and into MICE.

In 2009, Global Travel Media came, which went on to scoop multiple international awards such as Best Travel Industry Website and Outstanding Digital Media Service. Later came Destination Thailand News, Global Cruise News, and now, in 2025, GTM Holidays and the forthcoming GTM Mall.

Whether lecturing students or launching titles, Morton has always been ahead of the curve, a travel industry stalwart who has turned instinct into impact.

Peter Needham
Managing Editor – Australasia

With more than 35 years in travel journalism, Peter Needham has filed stories from Fleet Street to Fiji and almost everywhere. As Managing Editor (Australasia) for Global Travel Media, he shapes the site’s industry coverage while continuing to write with the flair and authority honed over decades.

Since turning freelance in 1993, Peter’s byline has graced mastheads ranging from the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review to Reader’s Digest and Qantas’ inflight magazines. He edited Inside Tourism for seven years, contributed a long-running “Travel Tales” column to Vacations & Travel, and even penned copy for Tourism Australia ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Peter has travelled widely, a Reuters, Guardian, and AAP veteran, from South American backpacking trails to a Saudi Arabian military hospital, collecting stories as only a true newspaperman can.

Ian McIntosh
Contributing Editor

Veteran journalist and publisher Ian McIntosh has spent a lifetime exploring the world and sharing its wonders. As the founder of Travelnews Australia, his nationally distributed, full-colour travel trade publication earned the esteemed Telstra Business Award.

Though now retired, Ian remains a passionate globetrotter with a soft spot for small ship cruising and discovering good value hotels across Europe. His most recent adventure involved a rather enthusiastic Thai elephant named Bo, who promptly deposited him into a pond. A true storyteller at heart, Ian continues to travel with humour, curiosity, and an unwavering love for the road less travelled.

Robert La Bua

Robert La Bua is a luxury travel columnist, writer, and television guest renowned for his discerning eye and polished perspective on the finer things in life. For over 14 years, he has contributed to Destinations of the World News, the United Arab Emirates’ leading luxury travel magazine, where his byline is synonymous with elegance, insight, and excellence.

As the writer of the Global Travel Connoisseur column, Robert reports on exceptional destinations, premium flights, five-star hotels, and extraordinary experiences tailored for the most affluent of travellers. With an unerring taste for quality and a truly global point of view, his work continues to inspire those who believe travel should always be an occasion.

Richard Coles

Richard Coles, founder of Coles International Training & Consulting, is an accomplished leadership trainer, facilitator, and presenter with over 30 years’ experience in the airline industry, including senior roles at KLM, Qantas, and Emirates.

Having lived in 10 countries and trained in 55, Richard brings a global perspective to his work, specialising in customer service and leadership initiatives. A seasoned writer and Training Insights contributor, he now shares weekly travel-related articles infused with practical managerial and service expertise. Richard designs and delivers tailored, real-world learning solutions worldwide. Learn more at www.colestraining.com or contact him at [email protected].

Barry Urquhart

Barry Urquhart is a highly regarded market research and strategic planning consultant, recognised throughout Australasia for his insight, clarity, and thought leadership.

. A seasoned keynote speaker at premier conferences, Barry is also the acclaimed author of Serves You Right! And Service Please!, two of the region’s top-selling titles on customer service excellence.

Respected as a trusted voice in business strategy, Barry continues to lead influential workshops and development programs that help organisations drive sustainable growth, elevate service culture, and achieve competitive distinction.

For Media Enquiries or Speaking Engagements:
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +61 041 983 5555

In 1972, following the decision by the Malaysian and Singaporean governments to separate the airline into two national carriers, I continued my professional journey with Singapore Airlines. I proudly served as the Marketing Manager for Italy, Greece, and Malta until 1987.

With a journalist’s license I had previously acquired, I decided to transition fully into journalism. My debut was with the Milan-based press agency Milanopress, and I have continued to write and collaborate with both Italian and international press ever since.

I remain active in the field and am a proud member of the Foreign Press Club in Italy, headquartered in Rome.

Susan Ng

With the polish of an international hotel professional and the heart of a born storyteller, Susan Ng has spent years behind reception desks, in banquet halls, and among linen carts, learning what genuine hospitality feels like, not just looks like. From the first greeting to the last goodnight, she understands that excellence lives in the small, unshowy gestures that linger long after checkout.

Away from the bustle, Susan’s curiosity found another front desk: the blank page. Her candid, thoughtful, sometimes wry blog pieces drew a quiet but loyal readership who sensed the truth behind her words. Today she’s turning that same eye for grace and imperfection toward the written world, offering stories rich in empathy, insight and lived detail. Every time, expect warm, genuine and polished writing like the perfect check-in.

Michelle Warner

Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins — the sort of woman who could turn a long-haul delay into a lesson in patience and prose. She began her career in media publications, learning the craft of sharp sentences and honest storytelling, before trading deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with several major airlines. Years spent at thirty thousand feet gave her a keen eye for human nature and a deep affection for the grace and grit of travellers everywhere.

Now happily grounded, Michelle has returned to her first love, writing, with the same composure she once brought to a turbulent cabin. Her work combines an editor’s precision with a traveller’s curiosity, weaving vivid scenes and subtle humour into stories that honour the golden age of travel writing. Every line is a small act of civility, polished, poised, and unmistakably human.

Christine Nguyen

Christine’s journey is one of quiet courage and unmistakable grace. Arriving in Australia as a young refugee from Vietnam, she built a new life in Sydney brick by brick, armed with little more than hope, family, and a fierce curiosity about the wider world. She studied Tourism at TAFE and found her calling in inbound travel, working with one of Sydney’s leading Destination Management Companies—where she delighted in showing visitors the real Australia, the one beyond postcards and clichés.

Years later, when the call of the sea and a gentler pace of life grew stronger, Christine and her family made their own great escape. She turned her creative hand to designing travel brochures and writing blogs, discovering that storytelling was as natural to her as breathing. Today, she brings that same warmth and worldly insight to Global Travel Media, telling stories that remind us why we travel in the first place.

Supaporn Pholrach

Supaporn Pholrach has never been content to watch from the wings. From her early years selling airtime when advertising meant handshakes and deadlines scribbled on paper, she’s been right in the thick of the action. With a bachelor’s in general management and a Diploma in Marketing, she married training with tenacity, quickly earning a reputation as a professional who gets results without losing her humanity.

Fifteen years at Bangkok Shuho proved her stamina in a business where many burn out. Now, as Sales Manager with Global Travel Media, she steers tourism brands through the noise with a steady hand, a touch of humour and the kind of personal warmth clients remember. Supaporn doesn’t simply close deals; she builds connections in the old-fashioned way with trust, loyalty, and heart. Little wonder she has become a quiet anchor in a restless industry.

Sandra Jones

Sandra has spent much of her working life untangling the world for others, one itinerary, one dream, one frazzled traveller at a time. With years spent in some of Australia’s best-known travel agencies, she’s the calm voice on the line when flights go missing, luggage takes its own holiday, or someone decides to “see Europe properly” in nine days.

A qualified travel consultant with a knack for making sense of chaos, Sandra fine-tuned her skills through a specialised advisory course, the sort that teaches both knowledge and patience in equal measure. But the storyteller in her was never far away. A later foray into writing gave her the perfect excuse to blend that industry wisdom with her gift for words.

Now, through Global Travel Media, Sandra shares the small truths of travel, its frustrations, laughter, and quiet moments, that make every journey worth the fuss.

My Thanh Pham

My Thanh Pham has worn more travel hats than most luggage racks could hold. After taking a course in travel and tourism, she found herself deep in the business of arranging itineraries across South-East Asia, matching travellers to temples, beaches, and the occasional night train, with a knack for making the complicated look easy.

train, with a knack for making the complicated look easy.

Not content with life behind the desk, she joined a Vietnamese airline, juggling reservations one day and the frontline bustle of the airport the next. It gave her a ringside seat to the theatre of travel: the missed flights, the joyous reunions, and the endless stories that airports never fail to serve.

These days, My Thanh has swapped ticket stubs for a writer’s keyboard at Global Travel Media. Her words carry the same steady hand she once brought to bookings, guiding readers through the rich, unpredictable world of travel.

Kanda Limw

Kanda Limw is a self-motivated administrative professional with a strong track record of supporting business operations efficiently and precisely. Highly organised and adaptable, she brings a wealth of skills to the table, from multitasking and prioritising competing demands to managing complex filing systems and ensuring smooth office workflows.

Her background spans professional secretarial work, customer relations, and project planning, where her critical thinking and proactive approach have consistently delivered results. Kanda is experienced in managing directors’ schedules, coordinating meetings, and streamlining administrative processes while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.

With progressive experience in office management, she has developed a reputation for reliability and attention to detail. Colleagues value her calm under pressure, her ability to anticipate needs, and her dedication to keeping operations on track. Kanda continues to build on her diverse skill set, driving efficiency and excellence in every task she undertakes.

Bridget Gomez

Bridget has never been one to sit still. Of Portuguese heritage, she first trained as a nurse. She threw herself into work at the Commonwealth Veteran Affairs Repatriation Hospital, tending to old soldiers with stories almost as colourful as her own would become. It was rewarding, steady work — but wanderlust has a louder voice than routine.

So, she swapped starched uniforms for a backpack and set off on a twelve-month gallop around the globe. Along the way, she scribbled in journals, capturing the dust, the laughter, the odd missed train, and the occasional glass of wine too many. Those notebooks soon became a travel blog, her way of reliving and sharing the journeys with anyone willing to read.

Eventually, Bridget stumbled across Global Travel Media and, in her words, “the rest is history.” Now she writes with the same mix of heart and mischief that fuelled her travels.

Soo James

There’s nothing predictable about Soo James, and that’s precisely her charm. Of Malaysian descent, she set down academic roots at the University of New South Wales, majoring in Arts, before veering off into the unlikeliest of places: IT. It mightn’t sound romantic, but somewhere between data strings and deadlines, Soo found a fascination with how people and words connect.

What began as a curiosity soon turned into a craft. Over time, her writing slipped effortlessly into travel blogs and lifestyle features, each piece marked by her dry wit and a mind that notices the small, telling details others might miss. She writes with a traveller’s eye and a local’s heart, grounded, observant, and quietly amused by the world’s contradictions. Today, at Global Travel Media, Soo’s words do what travel should always do: take readers somewhere new, even if only for a few minutes.

Charmaine Lu

Charmaine has always had a quiet kind of courage. She grew up in Shanghai, a city that moves at a tempo all its own, and somehow managed to keep her own rhythm studying accounting for the discipline, then the arts for the sheer love of beauty. “I needed both,” she says, “to feel whole.”

When she left China for Sydney in the 1980s, she carried nothing but a degree, a suitcase and a belief that she could start again. The first sea breeze off the harbour felt like permission. She met Stephen, and together they built a family, two children, a home filled with laughter, and a life straddling two cultures without apology.

Work has always been more than a job. Long before search engines became the centre of commerce, Charmaine was quietly helping companies be found and read—not just SEO but stories people wanted to click on. That is still her gift: finding connection in a crowded world.

Her life is less a résumé than a testament to grace under change, the accountant’s discipline, the artist’s eye, and a heart big enough for two continents.

Jason Smith

Jason Smith has the kind of story you can’t fake, built on long flights, new cities, and that unmistakable hum of hotel life that gets under your skin and never quite leaves. Half American, half Asian, he grew up surrounded by the steady rhythm of the tourism trade in the U.S., where his family helped others see the world long before he did.

Eager to carve out his own path, Jason packed his bags for Bangkok and the Asian Institute of Hospitality & Management, where he majored in Hotel Management and found a career and a calling. From there came years on the road, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, each stop adding another thread to his craft.

He made his mark in Thailand, eventually becoming Director of Sales for one of the country’s leading hotel chains. Then came COVID-19: borders closed, flights grounded, and a new chapter began.

Back home in America, Jason turned his knack for connection into words, joining Global Travel Media to tell the stories behind the check-ins written with the same warmth and honesty that have always defined him.

Andrew Wood

A Yorkshireman by birth and a Bangkokian by choice, Andrew J Wood has been exploring Southeast Asia’s hospitality and culinary landscapes since 1991. A seasoned travel writer, raconteur, and hotel reviewer, Andrew combines old-school courtesy with a dry wit that’s unmistakably English.

His love of gracious service and good manners, traits he believes the world could use more of, shines through every word he writes. From the gleaming hotel lobbies of Bangkok to the bustling markets of Hanoi, he finds joy in the details: a warm smile, a well-brewed cup of tea, or a perfectly folded napkin.

For Andrew, travel isn’t just about movement, it’s about meaning, memory, and the gentle art of slowing down. In his book, the perfect Sunday is unhurried, well-fed, and always finished with something sweet.

Prae Lee

You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle a busy Bangkok morning. Prae Lee doesn’t rush; she glides through it. There’s a calm certainty about her, the sort that comes from knowing where you come from and where you’re going.

Educated at Chulalongkorn University, she took her business degree with the quiet pride of someone who believes in doing things correctly. Her travels for further study in Singapore and Australia didn’t change her; they polished what was already there: curiosity, discipline, and grace.

She returned to her family business in Bangkok, breathing a little modern life into it. She handled social media with the intuition of someone who listens and sells with the gentle persistence the Thais do so well.

Prae doesn’t make a fuss, but everything she touches shines brighter.

Now part of the Global Travel Media family, Prae brings authenticity and quiet confidence to her writing, drawing from a life steeped in culture, travel, and connection.

Yves Thomas

Something quietly magnetic about Yves Thomas is the poised calm of someone who’s seen the world from both sides of the reception desk. A graduate of Bangkok University International, Yves earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Tourism and Hospitality Management and stepped straight into the beating heart of Thailand’s travel industry.

She worked with some of the country’s finest destination management companies, mastering the art of making other people’s holidays unforgettable.

In time, the call of the open road grew louder than boardroom meetings. Yves packed her bags, swapped conference calls for compass points, and set off to rediscover the joy of travel on her own terms. Somewhere between Chiang Mai and Copenhagen, she began to write small reflections that soon became her travel blog, a journal full of warmth and insight.

Now calling Hua Hin home, Yves has joined Global Travel Media to share those reflections with a broader audience not as a publicist, but as a storyteller with a traveller’s soul and a professional’s eye for detail.

Alison Jenkins

Alison Jenkins has spent much of her career at thirty thousand feet or at least close to it. Having worked in several sales roles with several airlines, she built a reputation for knowing her clients and flight schedules. Quick with a smile and sharper still with a deal, she became one of those rare people who could charm passengers and partners without losing her professional edge.

Trade shows and FAMILS were all part of the territory, and Alison became a regular on the circuit, with suitcases, smiles, and a notepad never far from reach. Somewhere between airport lounges and hotel lobbies, she discovered she loved telling the stories behind the journeys. Her post-FAMILS reports, meant for internal newsletters, began to take on a life of their own, lively, observant, and unmistakably hers.

That’s when Alison realised, she wasn’t just selling travel, she was meant to write about it.

Karuna Johnson

Karuna Johnson has one of those rare careers that could only belong to someone who genuinely loves travel. A Thai national with dual citizenship, she’s as comfortable swapping stories over street food in Bangkok as she is discussing strategy in a Sydney boardroom.

Educated in Thailand and Australia, Karuna speaks several languages fluently, a skill that’s served her well across a career that’s taken her through the inner workings of three Destination Management Companies and a string of hotels. She’s done everything from sales to admin, always with the kind of quiet competence that keeps things moving while everyone else still finds the coffee.

Her travels have taken her far and wide across Asia, Europe, and the United States, yet she still finds joy in the details: the people, the culture, and the stories behind every journey.

She’s worldly, poised, and precisely the kind of voice Global Travel Media was made for.

Jill Walsh

Jill Walsh has always had a pen within reach and a suitcase not far behind. She cut her teeth on media releases, then honed her craft shepherding press trips across half the globe—learning which stories travel well and which need a firmer edit.

In time she wasn’t merely promoting places; she was representing them, translating civic ambition and local pride into words people wanted to read. Semi-retired now, Jill has swapped departure boards for deadlines, joining long-time colleague and friend Stephen at Global Travel Media on a casual basis.

Her beat is the business end of wanderlust: balance sheets, route maps, tender wins, the quiet numbers that decide where travellers actually go. She writes with tidy prose, dry humour and an old-school respect for facts, giving readers clarity without the clutter. In short, Jill brings seasoned judgement to travel’s moving parts—and a steady voice when the market gets noisy.

Octavia Koo

Indonesian-born Octavia Koo arrived in Australia in the early 1980s, drawn by the creative promise of Sydney and a place at UNSW, where she studied Arts and soon discovered her flair for visual storytelling. She began as a graphic designer, quickly turning her sharp eye for detail towards the digital frontier, designing websites and crafting polished descriptions that draw people in—and keep them reading.

Her next chapter took her to Singapore, where she built and managed blogs for several tourism platforms, uncovering a natural gift for SEO long before the term became fashionable. There, amid the buzz of ITB Asia, she met Stephen, who suggested she consider Global Travel Media. A few years later, she did just that.

Now part of GTM’s editorial family, Octavia brings a quiet brilliance to her work. She merges art, technology, and intuition to tell travel stories that charm and perform, much like their author.

John Alwyn-Jones

John Alwyn-Jones is one of those rare figures who can make the business of travel sound positively adventurous. A lifelong communicator with the polish of a broadcaster and the curiosity of a journalist, he’s spent decades shaping stories and strategies across tourism, aviation, and the cruise world.

He’s led from the front as CEO, director, mentor and advisor and still manages to bring warmth and wit to every boardroom and microphone. Known for his sharp insight into global cruise lines and destinations, John has an old-school belief in professionalism, tempered with the sparkle of someone who’s genuinely seen the world. He’s not just in the business of travel he’s made it an art form.

Mark Sheehan

Mark Sheehan has never been one for the slow lane. He’s the bloke who spots an opening, rolls up his sleeves, and builds something brilliant before the rest have finished their coffee.

With a sharp nose for new business and product development, he’s turned more than a few bright ideas into serious commercial wins. Mark’s passion lies in short, hard-hitting campaign the kind with grit, pressure, and clear rewards at the finish line. Sales, marketing, funding, public relations he’s done the lot, but it’s the people and the challenge that drive him, not the corner office. When you need momentum, he’s the spark plug who’ll get things roaring fast, focused, and just a touch mischievous.

Anne Keam

Anne Keam’s story begins in Queensland, on a grain farm in the state’s wide western reaches, where the days were long and the lessons simple: work hard, look after your own, and don’t make a fuss. Those early years left their mark.

She later studied Arts at the University of Queensland, before doing what felt natural at the time—heading back home to the family property. But the world was calling. Anne packed a backpack and went looking, spending years on the road and finding herself most alive in South America. She wrote everything down along the way. Those notebooks, full of dust, colour and curiosity, eventually became her blog—a quiet, personal record of seeing the world and learning from it.