Inspire Me Award 2025 Recognizes the Best of the Best in Luxury Tourism

Inspire Me Award 2025 Recognizes the Best of the Best in Luxury Tourism

The fifth edition of the exclusive award ceremony at The Fontenay Hamburg honors creative ideas and sustainable concepts

The Inspire Me Award celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2025 and will once again honor leading personalities and brands in the field of luxury tourism. On October 24, the award ceremony will take place at The Fontenay in Hamburg. It is organized by LuxusInsider, the leading German luxury travel magazine, in cooperation with KITICON Global Networks from Bonn, a marketing agency with in-depth expertise in tourism marketing. The event is supported by renowned partners such as Swan Hellenic, HanseMerkur, Visit Monaco, La mer Cosmetics, Regent Seven Sea Cruises and TEFRA Luggage Service.

Honoring visionary concepts and innovative approaches

The Inspire Me Award recognizes companies and personalities who are shaping luxury tourism with tailor-made, unforgettable and high-quality concepts. It honors innovative ideas and sustainable concepts in the following six categories: “Goosebumps Destination of the Year”, “Newcomer Product of the Year”, “Top B2B Support of the Year”, “Rising Star of the Year”, “Top Luxury Agent of the Year” and “Ambassador of the Year”. Tina Kirfel, Managing Director of KITICON GmbH & Co. KG and co-initiator of the award, explains: “Selling luxury travel requires more than an exclusive offer - it needs a well thought-out marketing strategy and the sensitivity to understand customer expectations. Luxury today not only means exclusivity, but also authenticity, innovation and the creation of unforgettable experiences."

Award ceremony with a unique ambience‍

The festive award ceremony at The Fontenay Hamburg is an exclusive event that not only includes the award presentation, but also offers a high-profile networking meeting. Luxury travel experts, leading industry figures and sponsors from the high-end segment come together to discuss the latest developments and challenges in luxury tourism and provide innovative impulses. In addition to honoring the winners, guests can expect a varied program with keynote speeches, inspiring discussions with industry experts and culinary delights. “It's not just about prizes - it's about sharing visions, exchanging ideas and gaining new perspectives,” emphasizes Iris M. Köpke, co-initiator of the award and publisher of media partner Luxusinsider.

‍High-caliber jury and strong partners‍

The independent jury of the Inspire Me Award brings together renowned experts from the luxury and tourism industry, who contribute to the selection of the winners with their sense for exceptional concepts. But strong partners equally contribute to the excellence of the award: The shipping company Swan Hellenic, known for its cultural expedition cruises, Visit Monaco, which stands for exclusive tourism, and HanseMerkur, one of Germany's leading travel insurers. The partner network is complemented by La mer Cosmetics, a specialist in high-quality marine cosmetics, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a provider of luxury all-inclusive cruises, the TEFRA luggage service, which enables comfortable travel, and the Hamburg luxury hotel The Fontenay. Melanie Haaß, co-organizer of the award, emphasizes: “Thanks to the expertise of our jury and the support of our partners, we can award concepts that offer real added value for the industry.”

Exclusive partnership opportunities

The Inspire Me Award offers companies from the luxury sector the opportunity to present themselves as partners or sponsors in an exclusive environment. Interested companies can contact Tina Kirfel by email at  tk@kiticon.global to find out more about participation opportunities.You can find more information about the Inspire Me Award at: https://www.inspire-me-award.com/

About LuxusInsider:
LuxusInsider is the leading luxury travel trade magazine in Germany. Now in its eleventh year of covering the industry, LuxusInsider has become the gatekeeper of the luxury community with its authentic, well-researched and focused reporting. Travel agents, tour operators, hotels, airlines and travel concierges, in short, all the people and brands in the industry that specialize in the luxury segment are part of the LuxusInsider community.


About KITICON GmbH & Co. KG:
Founded in 2017, the agency KITICON GmbH & Co. KG develops cross-media strategic marketing and communication concepts, individual analyses and innovative brand presentations for companies. From qualitative consulting and creative ideas to digital transformation and operational implementation, it supports its clients on the path to lasting success. The agency is headquartered in Bonn.

Spotlight News

Case-Studies

Inspire Me Award – Corporate Brand Design & Webdesign

Selling luxury travel means selling more than services – it means selling desire. And to market it successfully, you need more than a curated portfolio: you need sophisticated marketing, a sense of style, and a deep understanding of the aspirations of a discerning clientele.

Together with LuxusInsider, the leading trade magazine in luxury tourism, we created an award that does just that: celebrating excellence in its purest form. From an idea, the Inspire Me Award was born – a stage for the best in the industry.

What did it take? A brand experience that meets the highest standards. A carefully crafted corporate brand design that speaks the language of luxury – subtle, refined, confident. A website that gives the award visibility and a digital home – for jurors, partners, and sponsors alike.

The result: a brand that doesn’t just represent the industry’s most prestigious annual event but extends an invitation to all who don’t just recognize excellence but embody it.

Period: Since November 2020

Industry: Tourism

Objective: Build a strong, premium brand identity for the Inspire Me Award and create an elegant, intuitive website that serves as a digital stage for partners, winners, and jurors – presenting the award with maximum impact.

Services

  • Graphic Design
  • Concept Development
  • Web Development
  • Content Management

The Challenge

Developing a brand that captures the essence of luxury – elegant and free of clichés. At the same time, creating a website that clearly communicates the award and its categories while staging it as a sought-after prestige event.

Our Approach

From the vision of creating a unique award in luxury tourism, we collaborated with LuxusInsider to develop the Inspire Me Award as a prestigious format with six clearly defined categories – supported by both an expert jury and the LuxusInsider community.

We guided the process from naming and concept development to building a sophisticated brand world: from the striking logo to cohesive brand assets and visual language. In parallel, we created a flexible website that presents the award and its categories with clarity and elegance – serving as the central stage for winners, partners, and sponsors.

The new corporate brand design was consistently rolled out and now serves as the foundation for ongoing development that meets the dynamic demands of the luxury tourism industry. In day-to-day operations, we support the award with regular content for the website and social media, as well as active sponsor acquisition, ensuring the brand grows sustainably and the event secures its place as a benchmark in the luxury sector.

The Outcome

The Inspire Me Award has established itself as a unique and credible seal of quality in luxury tourism – an award whose authenticity and high value are reinforced through genuine voting.

The clearly defined corporate brand design gives the award a distinct identity, subtly and confidently communicating luxury. The website acts as the central platform, delivering transparency and accessibility while powerfully underlining the exclusive positioning of the award.

With each edition, the Inspire Me Award comes to life as an authentic stage for outstanding achievements – a brand that builds trust and makes excellence visible.

Ready to make your brand shine?
We’d be happy to advise you on corporate brand design and web design in a free, no-obligation initial consultation.

Brand Design

Webdesign

Social Media Marketing

Case-Studies

OLIMAR Reisen – Social Media Marketing

OLIMAR Reisen is a family-owned tour operator based in Cologne, established in 1972 as a Portugal specialist. Today, the portfolio also includes carefully selected destinations such as Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Cape Verde, and Malta – offering flexible travel styles ranging from beach holidays and round trips to golf and group tours. Always personally curated, with an eye for the extraordinary. Guided by the motto “Quality over Quantity,” OLIMAR focuses on personalised advice, handpicked accommodations, and authentic experiences.

Our task was to make these values even more visible on social media. Together, we developed a new content strategy with a clear focus: highlighting the diversity of destinations, building a strong community, and setting new impulses – including targeting a younger audience.

Campaign Period: Since October 2024

Industry: Tourism

Objective: To sustainably grow OLIMAR’s social media community and create a strong, cohesive brand presence with high-quality, structured content and professional templates. The focus was on targeting a younger audience – especially young couples and active travellers – with tailored content. To make the brand more relatable and tangible, we showcased authentic behind-the-scenes insights and put the OLIMAR team at the centre of selected formats.

This approach aimed to highlight not only the diversity of travel destinations but also the people behind them, fostering a personal connection with the community and positioning OLIMAR as the first choice for modern Mediterranean travellers.

Services Provided:

  • Project Management
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Graphic Design
  • Community Management
  • Performance Marketing

The Challenge: To position OLIMAR on social media in such a way that the brand is perceived as more than a Portugal specialist – as an authentic provider of high-quality travel experiences across the Mediterranean. The challenge was to preserve the brand’s hallmark quality while appealing to a younger, digitally savvy audience without diluting its identity.

Our Approach: Close collaboration, clear structures, measurable results. We began by setting up weekly status meetings to ensure an ongoing dialogue with the client. Together, we created customised social media templates for posts and stories, finalised through close coordination. At the beginning of 2025, we jointly defined an editorial and activity plan for the first half of the year, along with a detailed budget proposal as the planning basis.

Weekly content production was strategically split: part was created in-house by OLIMAR’s team, while our agency team developed additional content – ensuring optimal capacity use, quality, and brand consistency. For consistent community management, we created a comprehensive response pool as a guideline for brand-aligned communication. Complementary activities included targeted Meta Ads, two sweepstakes, and ongoing data analysis with regular reporting to monitor performance and optimise the strategy based on insights.

Results: With tailored graphic templates and innovative content formats such as the “OLIMAR Moment,” we elevated the brand’s Instagram presence to a new level. A professional guideline ensures consistent content that is both visually appealing and perfectly aligned with the target audience.

Through carefully selected topics and engaging content, we reached a broad community and significantly increased interaction rates. Within just a few months, OLIMAR’s Instagram community grew by an impressive 30 percent. This success translated into greater reach, improved quality of user engagement, and a sustainably strengthened Instagram channel as a central brand stage. The online presence now appears even more premium, professional, and attractive – a true success factor for the brand.

Would you also like to achieve more with your social media presence? We would be happy to advise you in a free, no-obligation initial consultation.

Social Media Marketing

Case-Studies

OLIMAR Reisen – Leadgenerierung

For over 50 years, OLIMAR Reisen has stood for exceptional and authentic experiences in Portugal – offering the most comprehensive portfolio for the entire country. In recent years, the range has successfully expanded to Italy, Spain, Cape Verde, Croatia, Greece, and Malta. OLIMAR seamlessly blends postcard-perfect destinations with real adventures off the beaten path. To bring this unique spirit of discovery to an even wider audience, we developed a holistic lead generation campaign. Through a mobile funnel and targeted social media activities, we guided potential customers directly to the “Portugal Countryside” catalogue while increasing overall brand visibility.

Campaign Period: September 2023 – January 2024

Industry: Tourism

Objective: To acquire as many qualified end-customer leads as possible for  OLIMAR Reisen through a holistic campaign that showcases the brand’s spirit of discovery and inspires new audiences with Portugal’s travel offering.

Services Provided:

  • Project Management
  • Graphic Design
  • Content Creation
  • Performance Marketing
  • Monitoring & Reporting

The Challenge:

In September 2023, OLIMAR Reisen launched its new “Portugal Countryside” catalogue, showcasing unique travel experiences in Portugal’s rural heartland. Building on this catalogue, the accompanying campaign aimed to significantly increase OLIMAR’s visibility among end customers and tap into new target groups – especially those who had never booked with OLIMAR before.

While OLIMAR is well-established as a Portugal specialist among travel agencies, the key challenge was to raise brand awareness directly with consumers and engage those most likely to appreciate the company’s authentic travel experiences.

Our Approach:

The first four weeks were dedicated to preparation, with the campaign launch scheduled for October. Once the budget was defined, we developed a mobile lead funnel to target and pre-qualify potential customers for catalogue requests. In parallel, we created engaging graphics based on OLIMAR’s corporate design, tailored to resonate with different audience segments through customised hooks.

After aligning on and approving the content, the campaign went live. Throughout the campaign period, results were reviewed weekly and optimised strategically – with the goal of lowering cost per lead while maximising lead volume. This was achieved through continuous, data-driven adjustments and creative fine-tuning.

Results:

Between October and January, we generated over 200 qualified addresses and dispatched the corresponding catalogues – meeting the expectations of both parties. The campaign resonated strongly with the target audience, who responded positively to all hooks.

Notably, the “gourmet traveller” segment showed particularly high engagement, accounting for over 30% of total clicks – a clear indicator of the strong potential for these travel themes within the “Portugal Countryside” offering.

From a business perspective, the campaign was also a success: with a cost per lead of under €10, the target audience was not only reached but engaged effectively.

Would you also like to generate more qualified leads through social media and mobile funnels? We would be happy to advise you in a free, no-obligation initial consultation.

Leadgenerierung

Creative minds wanted!