Hector De Castro Joins International Jury for the Fourth Consecutive Year at Equality in Tourism Awards

At a time when the hospitality industry is being called to redefine the meaning of value, leadership, and impact, international recognition of social progress has never been more relevant. Regenera Luxury is therefore proud to share that Héctor De Castro, Chairman of Regenera Luxury, has once again been invited to serve as a judge for the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award, marking his fourth consecutive year on this distinguished international panel.

Presented by Equality in Tourism, the award is the only initiative of its kind dedicated specifically to recognising tourism and hospitality organisations that are taking meaningful action to create more gender-equal workplaces and supply chains. In doing so, it addresses one of the most decisive dimensions of industry transformation: the understanding that no tourism model can claim to be genuinely future-fit without social fairness at its core.

The 2026 award ceremony took place on 5 March at ITB Berlin, just days before International Women’s Day. The setting was both symbolic and timely, bringing together global voices committed to advancing a more inclusive, resilient, and values-driven tourism sector.

An International Platform for Meaningful Leadership

Over the years, the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award has grown into a respected benchmark for identifying and celebrating organisations that move beyond rhetoric and demonstrate real commitment through policy, representation, training, leadership pathways, and supply-chain inclusion.

This year’s judging panel included prominent voices from across the international tourism and hospitality landscape, including experts and representatives associated with the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, GSTC, MissionRespo, and specialists in tourism, equality, and social responsibility. The presence of Héctor De Castro on this panel for a fourth consecutive year reflects not only his personal commitment to advancing a more equitable industry, but also REGENERA LUXURY’s belief that the future of hospitality must be regenerative in the fullest sense of the word.

The Equality in Tourism team with our winners and panelists at ITB Berlin

For Regenera Luxury, regeneration cannot be understood solely as environmental restoration or operational responsibility. It must also encompass the restoration of balance within the human systems that sustain tourism itself. This includes dignity in the workplace, equitable access to opportunity, the visibility of women in leadership, and the creation of business models that generate value more fairly across the tourism ecosystem.

Celebrating the 2026 Winners

From a shortlist of ten exceptional finalists representing different regions of the world, the judges selected two winners whose work stands out for both intention and implementation.

Accommodation Winner: Amba Yaalu Kandalama, Sri Lanka

The winner in the accommodation category was Amba Yaalu Kandalama, part of the Thema Collection. Already highly commended in the previous edition, the property was recognised this year for the depth of its progress and the increasing scale of its impact.

As Sri Lanka’s first women-led hotel, Amba Yaalu Kandalama represents a powerful example of what hospitality can achieve when inclusion is embedded not as a symbolic gesture, but as an operational and cultural commitment. Its achievement in employing 91 women, within a context where such participation continues to challenge social norms, speaks not only to representation, but to transformation. It is an example of hospitality acting as an agent of structural change.

Travel and Destinations Winner: Nomad Africa, Kenya

In the travel and destinations category, the award was presented to Nomad Africa, the East African travel company and magazine publisher whose business model places women’s empowerment among its regenerative pillars.

The judges recognised the organisation for its exceptionally robust gender policy, its strong commitment to mentorship, and the visible presence of women in senior leadership positions. Nomad Africa illustrates how equality can be woven into the strategic fabric of an organisation, influencing not only internal culture but the quality and integrity of its broader impact.

The judging panel also highly commended Halisi Africa Discoveries, acknowledging the strength of its mission and the clarity of its vision in championing women’s empowerment.

Beyond Recognition: A Deeper Industry Message

Following the award presentation, a panel discussion brought together judges, winners, and industry experts to reflect on the wider significance of the initiative and on the work still required to foster a more equitable tourism industry. The conversation underscored a reality that is becoming increasingly clear across advanced hospitality discourse: equality is not an auxiliary concern. It is foundational.

In this context, Héctor De Castro reaffirmed a principle that closely reflects the philosophy of Regenera Luxury:

“We cannot be regenerative if we are not sustainable,
and we cannot be really sustainable if we don’t protect the social agenda
through equality in tourism.”
— Héctor De Castro

This perspective is especially important at a moment when the language of regeneration is gaining visibility across the tourism sector, yet is not always accompanied by sufficient depth or coherence in practice. To speak meaningfully about regeneration requires recognising that environmental ambition, cultural integrity, community wellbeing, and social justice are not separate agendas. They are interdependent dimensions of one holistic model.

A panel discussion with winners, judges and industry experts followed the award presentation

A hospitality company cannot credibly position itself as regenerative while overlooking structural inequalities within its own workforce, leadership pathways, or value chain. Nor can sustainability be considered complete if it addresses carbon, water, or waste while neglecting the human realities of opportunity, representation, and fairness. In this sense, the awards serve as an important reminder that the transformation of tourism must be both ecological and social.

Why These Awards Matter for the Future of Luxury Hospitality

For the luxury sector in particular, the significance of these awards is profound. Luxury hospitality is no longer defined solely by aesthetics, exclusivity, or service sophistication. Increasingly, its legitimacy is tied to the quality of its ethics, the intelligence of its leadership, and the depth of its contribution to the world around it.

The most forward-thinking hospitality brands now understand that excellence must extend beyond the guest experience and into the lived reality of employees, communities, ecosystems, and local economies. Social inclusion, gender equality, and dignified opportunity are therefore not peripheral matters of compliance or reputation. They are indicators of institutional maturity and essential markers of long-term relevance.

Awards such as this one matter because they elevate examples of organisations that are already showing what this future can look like. They provide practical evidence that equality is not only morally necessary, but operationally viable and strategically beneficial. They help shift the conversation from aspiration to implementation, from isolated initiatives to replicable leadership.

A Reflection of REGENERA LUXURY’s Values and Mission

At Regenera Luxury, we believe that true luxury must evolve from extraction to contribution, from performance to purpose, and from superficial sustainability claims to measurable regenerative value. Our mission is to help shape a hospitality sector in which the highest expression of luxury is not only exceptional in service and design, but also restorative in its relationship with people, place, culture, and nature.

This is precisely why the values represented by the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award are so closely aligned with our own. The award honours organisations that recognise a fundamental truth: that the health of a hospitality model is inseparable from the wellbeing, equity, and dignity of the people within it.

For REGENERA LUXURY, regeneration means creating conditions in which all stakeholders can flourish. It means fostering hospitality models that restore ecosystems, strengthen communities, honour cultural identity, and cultivate fairer internal structures. It means understanding that social justice is not separate from environmental stewardship, but part of the same regenerative logic.

The importance of these awards lies not only in celebrating excellence, but in reinforcing the standards of leadership the industry now requires. They highlight the kind of courage, vision, and operational integrity that must define the next generation of tourism and hospitality. They also resonate deeply with Regenera Luxury’s commitment to advancing a new paradigm of luxury: one in which success is measured not only by what a property offers, but by what it restores, empowers, and elevates.

Congratulations to the Winners

Regenera Luxury warmly congratulates Amba Yaalu Kandalama and Nomad Africa on their well-deserved recognition, and extends its respect to all finalists and applicants whose work is contributing to a stronger and more equitable sector.

We also recognise the vital contribution of Equality in Tourism for continuing to create a platform that not only celebrates progress, but helps drive it. By amplifying examples of excellence and encouraging the wider adoption of best practices, these awards make a meaningful contribution to the future of the industry.

In a sector that is increasingly being asked to prove its value beyond economic performance alone, such recognition matters. It reminds us that hospitality, at its best, is not merely about welcoming guests. It is about shaping systems that are more inclusive, more conscious, more resilient, and more regenerative.

And that vision is inseparable from the mission of Regenera Luxury.