Hugo Stinnes was quite at home in shipping and air traffic. After an apprenticeship in the Nautical Academy he worked with a shipbroker and then in the management of ALL AIR Cargo. In 1970, he went to Neckermann & Reisen and, with his feel for trends and destinations, expanded the  long-haul product range at Neckermann in the 70s, also laying the foundation for many long-haul charters that we today take for granted. He had his finger on the pulse of the age when he set up on his own company STR Stinnes Touristic Representations, representing hotels, airlines, incoming agencies, and national tourism organizations. This as well as the two daughter companies STR Promotion and STR Destination, could keep up well with the fast developments in tourism. Since 2003, the official name of the company is STR Destination Handling and the number of employees has been increasing continuously. As Vice President Hugo Stinnes was responsible for long distance flights and cruises, and it soon got obvious that he had an excellent feeling for new destinations. In his role as Managing Director at STR Destination Handling he was always happy to pass on his valuable knowledge to each of us and was especially esteemed for his open ear for each team member. As our “Senior” he was always happy and ready to find a solution for each and every situation.

Hugo E. Stinnes peacefully passed away in March 2014 in Frankfurt/Main at the age of 76, surrounded by his family after a two year struggle with cancer. Each of us not only grieve at the passing of a tremendous individual but also for the loss of a remarkable entrepreneur who shaped the German tourism industry for more than 40 years.