"Every year, we are proud all over again of the standing the Inspire Me Award has achieved in the luxury travel industry. The ceremony has now become a fixed and indispensable date in the industry calendar," says Tina Kirfel, Managing Director of the agency KITICON and co-founder of the award.
The 2026 winners
The categories cover the entire luxury travel spectrum, from sales in travel agencies to new hotels and ships, destinations and industry events. The winners are:
- Newcomer Hotel of the Year: Avali, Greece
- Newcomer Ship of the Year: Amangati, Aman at Sea
- Goosebumps Destination of the Year: Japan
- Top B2B Event of the Year: Belmond Summer Days
- Top Luxury Agent of the Year: Ole Dross, Onefinemoment
- Luxury Ambassador of the Year: Sina Hahnefeld, Traveldesign by Sina
Networking in a festive setting
Between the award presentations, there was room for what has defined the Inspire Me Award since its first edition: personal exchange. Travel agents engaged in conversation with hotel directors, cruise lines and destination representatives.
The event was made possible by numerous partners. This year's main partner was the expedition cruise line Swan Hellenic. Further partners were the Greek hotel group Mar-Bella Collection, Amadeus Flusskreuzfahrten, HanseMerkur, TEFRA Gepäckservice, Samsonite, KRIOR, LAKRIDS by Bülow, Breuninger, La mer, the Conrad Hotel Hamburg as host, and Brandcraft.
From reader nominations to the awards ceremony
The winners are selected in three steps. First, readers of the trade magazine LuxusInsider submit their nominations. From these, a jury of 7 industry experts draws up a shortlist for each category. In the final vote, the LuxusInsider community once again decides on the winners.
The Inspire Me Award is powered by KITICON Global Networks and LuxusInsider. It is organised by Tina Kirfel, Managing Director of the Bonn-based agency KITICON Global Networks, Iris M. Köpke, publisher and editor-in-chief of LuxusInsider, and Melanie Haaß, Director Business Development at Travel Media Network. The three initiators launched the award in 2021 and continue to develop the format together every year.
You can find more information about the Inspire Me Award 2026 here.
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