Aspire writer earns top prize at Aito Travel Writer of the Year awards

Aspire features writer Charlotte Brook received one of the top prizes at Aito’s 2025 Travel Writer of the Year awards.

Brook, who writes for Travel Weekly’s sister publication, took home the top prize in the Travel Trade Writer of the Year category at the organisation’s annual Meet the Media event last week.

She was recognised for her “enthralling, well-written and really interesting” feature recounting her time in Rwanda, a trip Brook described as “incredibly moving”.

Judges also labelled the piece as “beautifully written” with “lots of suspense”.

There were more than 500 entries across the awards’ five categories, which is the highest ever received.

Brook, who joined the Aspire team in January 2024, said: “I’m so thrilled to have won the Aito award for Travel Trade Writer of the Year and grateful to the judges for recognising my feature among such strong competition. My trip to Rwanda is one that I’ll never forget so thank you again to Visit Rwanda and Hills Balfour for giving me the opportunity to visit and write about this incredible destination. 

“It certainly feels like a big career highlight so far."