Luxury Tourism Meets Excellence: Inspire Me Award 2025 Honors the Best in the Industry

Luxury Tourism Meets Excellence: Inspire Me Award 2025 Honors the Best in the Industry

Glamorous award ceremony at The Fontenay Hamburg celebrates outstanding achievements across six categories

At an elegant gala held at the five-star hotel The Fontenay, the Inspire Me Awards 2025 were presented on Friday evening. The Bonn-based agency KITICON Global Networks, together with the travel trade magazine LuxusInsider, honored leading figures and brands in international luxury tourism.

Now in its fifth year, the event once again brought together the industry’s most innovative destinations, products, and personalities. Around 120 distinguished guests from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, London, Paris, Monaco, and Luxembourg gathered to celebrate the winners in a dazzling atmosphere.

“Over the past years, the Inspire Me Award has evolved into a key meeting point for the luxury travel industry,” said Tina Kirfel, Managing Director of KITICON Global Networks and co-initiator of the award. “This year’s event was again filled with energy, appreciation, and genuine encounters – exactly what we aim to create with this format.” Together with Iris M. Köpke and Melanie Haaß, KITICON launched the award and continues to refine its concept each year.

The 2025 Winners

Outstanding achievements were recognized in six categories – with seven awards presented:

  • Goosebumps Destination: Sri Lanka (accepted by Honorary Consul Thomas Kriwat)
  • Newcomer Product – On Land: andBeyond Suyian Lodge, Kenya
  • Newcomer Product – On Water: Luminara, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
  • Top B2B Event & Luxury Ambassador: Ulli Fink with Vibes – winning two awards
  • Luxury Experience of the Year: Polar Bear Walking Safari (represented by Nele Remstedt, Denkzauber)
  • Top Luxury Agent: Silvio Rebmann, Cube Travel – chosen by luxury travel suppliers and celebrated by the audience with standing ovations

“Each nomination and every award stand for passion and quality in an industry that creates experiences at the highest level,” added Iris M. Köpke, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of LuxusInsider.

Jury, Selection and Partners

The jury comprised seven industry experts from various fields. Both nominations and final voting were carried out by LuxusInsider readers.

The Inspire Me Award 2025 was supported by esteemed partners including Grecotel, Swan Hellenic, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Belmond, Brandcraft, HanseMerkur, LAKRIDS BY BÜLOW, La mer Cosmetics, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, TEFRA Travel Logistics, and Visit Monaco.

“We’re truly grateful to our partners – their support makes the Inspire Me Award possible and helps us create an evening full of appreciation, inspiration, and meaningful connections each year,” emphasized Melanie Haaß, Director Business Development at LuxusInsider.

Insight and Outlooks

All results and jury details are available on the official Inspire Me Award website. Information about next year’s ceremony can also be found online.
A photo gallery featuring the evening’s highlights at The Fontenay Hamburg is likewise available for viewing.

About KITICON Global Networks

Founded in 2017, KITICON Global Networks develops cross-media strategic marketing and communication concepts, individual analyses, and innovative brand experiences. From in-depth consulting and creative ideation to digital transformation and implementation, KITICON guides its clients toward sustainable success. The agency is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.

About LuxusInsider

LuxusInsider is Germany’s leading trade magazine for luxury travel. Now in its eleventh year, it has become the trusted voice of the luxury travel community through its authentic, well-researched, and focused reporting. The magazine connects travel advisors, tour operators, hotels, airlines, and travel concierges – all professionals and brands dedicated to the high-end travel segment.

Spotlight News

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sonnenklar.TV Travel agencies rely on Travcom24

Karlsruhe, January 8, 2026. Acvis is revamping the digital infrastructure for TVG travel agencies: The Travcom24 content management and sales system from acvis GmbH is being used throughout the entire travel agency system. With this change, the travel agencies are bundling their websites on a uniform, powerful platform – with the clear goal of expanding digital visibility, increasing online bookability, and sustainably improving the integration of online and stationary sales in service areas.

Travcom24 creates a central technical basis for all partner offices for the first time, while at the same time leaving room for individual design and local positioning. This results in a consistent brand image with a personal touch – a decisive factor for local visibility in search engines and attracting the attention of customers.

More than a website: digital sales tool for travel agencies

Travcom24 is not a classic CMS, but rather a holistic digital sales ecosystem for modern travel agencies. Smart functions support a contemporary customer approach and efficient lead processing. The system is complemented by integrated tools for appointment management, newsletters, offer and customer management, and targeted support for stationary sales. At the same time, Travcom24 meets all relevant legal requirements—from GDPR to IT security to accessibility—and thus offers a future-proof foundation for digital sales. A key success factor is the close cooperation with TVG travel agencies: Feedback from day-to-day business is continuously incorporated into the agile further development of the communication and service platform.

Developed from practice – for practice

Behind Travcom24 is acvis GmbH, headed by managing director Christian Helbling, who himself operates several travel agencies. This proximity to operational sales has a significant influence on the development of the system. "Everyday life at travel agencies has changed fundamentally. Today, digital solutions must intelligently combine consulting, sales, and efficient processes. This is exactly what Travcom24 was developed for – and we are very pleased to be embarking on this journey together with the TVG travel agencies,“ says Helbling.

TVG's decision was also based on the company's innovative edge: ”Travel agencies today face a key challenge: remaining personal while also being digitally visible and accessible. Travcom24 not only has smart approaches, but also offers innovative, future-oriented sales solutions. That's what convinced us," explains Dirk Faßbender, Director of Sales & Marketing at TVG. F

oundation for the next stage of digitalization

With Travcom24, TVG travel agencies are laying the foundation for the consistent further development of their digital sales. Uniform processes, a stronger online presence, and new digital sales potential are to be systematically developed in the future – without losing sight of the travel agencies' personal consulting standards. Interested travel agencies can get an overview of travcom24 during a product presentation. Places for the group webinar on January 30, 2026, can now be booked here.

acvis

News

LEAD³ launched: New industry project promotes women's careers in tourism

The “LEAD³ – LEARN. EMPOWER. ADVANCE. DEVELOP.” project is a nationwide equality project that aims to specifically promote female careers in the tourism industry. The Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) is collaborating with twelve tourism companies and organizations as well as the industry associations BTW and DRV. The focus is on individual career advancement, structural change in companies, and raising awareness of equal opportunities in the industry.

LEAD³ is aimed at women – including trans and inter women – in three career and life phases: rising talents, established professionals, and silver agers. Over a period of three years, participants will receive coaching and mentoring, while the participating companies will simultaneously develop gender equality-oriented structures.

Broad industry alliance as a basis

The project is supported by a cross-industry alliance of tour operators, destination organizations, and other tourism stakeholders. Partners include Ameropa-Reisen GmbH, Biblische Reisen, Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus, Bentour, Tourism Turn, Tourismus Marketing Niedersachsen, Akwaba Afrika Reisen, Neue Wege, visitBerlin, KITICON, and Alsharq Reisen. Each company provides project leaders from HR, works councils, or management teams, as well as three participants for the duration of the project.

Scientific management and practical relevance

The project is being implemented at HNEE under the direction of Prof. Dr. Claudia Brözel and Theresa Schmalenbach, M.A. The aim is to combine individual skills development with organizational change and to make the insights gained available to the entire industry. The project team includes Alicia Klein M.A., Katharina Elster, and Sandra Kaliga.

Support from BTW and DRV

The Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) and the German Travel Association (DRV) are supporting LEAD³ as network partners. Over the next three years, the associations want to bring the project to the industry through open network meetings and events for all genders and promote the exchange of ideas on equal opportunities – in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5).

Visibility and long-term knowledge transfer

In addition to coaching and organizational development, LEAD³ focuses on visibility in the industry. Female role models, examples of good practice, and project results are communicated via the website, LinkedIn, industry events, and publications in order to provide sustainable impetus for the tourism industry. Funding background LEAD³ will run until October 31, 2028, and is funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) as part of the program “Shaping the transformation of work through social partnership.” The project is co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

There is still one place available for companies in the LEAD³ program. Interested parties can contact claudia.broezel@hnee.de.

Further information on the project will be available at ITB 2026 on the Green Stage in Hall 7.1b. The session “Beyond Intentions: Making Gender Equality Stick in Tourism” will take place there on March 3 from 5:15 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.

KITICON Update

Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde

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Worldia introduces new loyalty program for travel agents in 2026

Worldia is introducing a new loyalty program for travel consultants on January 1, 2026. With the Worldia Club, the specialist for modular travel is specifically strengthening its cooperation with stationary sales. The program combines a transparent points system with attractive bonus levels and exclusive rewards – and is designed to strengthen ties with travel agencies in the DACH market in the long term. Each travel agency will receive a personal partner account where points, status levels, and benefits can be viewed at any time.

Simple points system for all bookings

For each confirmed booking, partners receive 1 Worldia point per euro spent. Once the customer's trip is complete, the points can be redeemed flexibly – including for vouchers and rewards from over 150 partner brands in the areas of gastronomy, fashion, hotels, and entertainment. All information on available rewards, promotions, and the current points balance can be found on the personal dashboard. Points are valid for 24 months from the customer's departure date.

“We know how important dedicated travel agents are to our mutual success. With the Worldia Club, we offer them a program that creates real added value – transparent, attractive, and tailored to their needs,” explains Lisa Gerbens, Deputy Managing Director of Worldia.

Bonus levels with additional benefits

As sales increase, partners move up to higher bonus levels – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black, and Platinum. Depending on their level, they benefit from additional bonus points and extended advantages. Regular promotions and challenges are also planned, through which travel consultants can earn additional points. The first campaign starts with bookings for the USA and Canada – between December 15 and January 16, 1.5 points per euro of sales will be awarded.

Strengthening the sales partner system

With its new loyalty program, Worldia is strengthening partnerships in the DACH market and further expanding its service and incentive structure for travel consultants. At the same time, the company is creating additional incentives to make cooperation even more attractive and efficient in the long term. Interested parties can find details about the program and register HERE. The team will answer any questions about the Worldia Club at club@worldia.com.

Worldia

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