Rr. "Kozma Naska", Nr:33/6,
Elbasan 3001, Albania
Përmirësimi i standardeve të akomodimit me ETG
Ndërkohë që Elite Travel Group ka punuar për Elite Coaching dhe Elite Hospitality, një nga fokuset këtë vit ishte trajnimi i hotelierëve në Shqipëri. Më saktësisht, ETG u bashkua me zyrën Thomas Cook North Europe & Frankfurt dhe punuan së bashku për të trajnuar hotelierë në rajonin e Sarandës. Ky projekt synon të ndihmojë hotelet për përmirësimin e standardeve të akomodimit, në mënyrë që ata të jenë në përputhje me shërbimet e kompanisë.
Ky projekt filloi në shtator 2017. Së pari, kompania zhvilloi vizita kërkimore dhe intervista nëpër hotele. Më vonë, kishte një proces përzgjedhjeje për 22 hotelierë në të gjithë rajonin e Sarandës. Këtë vit, për dy muaj, ne kemi kryer procesin e trainimit për secilin nga këta hotelierë.
Së pari, procesi konsistonte në trajnimin në lidhje me menaxhimin. Ne bëmë trajnime në lidhje me procedurat e menaxhimit të hoteleve, rekrutimin e stafit dhe politikën e menaxhimit të burimeve njerëzore, menaxhimin e ndarjes së dhomave, përdorimin e sistemit të menaxhimit të pronave, dhe menaxhimin e ankesave. Një pjesë tjetër e rëndësishme e këtij hapi ishte informimi mbi tregun e burimeve kulturore që do të sjellë një kuptim më të mirë të klientëve nga kultura të ndryshme që vijnë në këto hotele.
Së dyti, një pjesë tjetër e rëndësishme është trajnimi rreth shëndetit dhe sigurisë. Kryesisht ishte përqendruar në trajnimin e stafit sanitar, dhe procedurat e higjienës. Gjithashtu, për herë të parë në Shqipëri, ne implementuam mbrojtjen nga legjionella që siguron sigurinë e ujit të rubinetit në këto hotele.
Së treti, i kushtuam vëmendje edhe shërbimit të klientit dhe trajnimit të stafit të shitjeve, duke përfshirë menaxhimin e rezervimeve dhe recepsionin. Kjo do të rrisë numrin e klientëve të kënaqur, gjë që është thelbësore për çdo hotel.
Përmirësimi i katërt ka të bëjë me aspektin financiar të biznesit. Ne u përqëndruam në implementimin e një gateway për pagesat, në mënyrë që të lehtësonim transaksionet, si edhe përmirësimin e kontabilitetit financiar.
Së fundmi, ne gjithashtu diskutuam opsionet e marketingut dhe u përqendruam kryesisht në marketing digjital. Opsionet tona të propozuara ishin shkrimi i content dhe prodhimi i multimedias për të arritur sa më shumë klientë si në nivel lokal, edhe në atë ndërkombëtar.
Siç pritej, ne i arritëm synimet tona nëpërmjet këtij projekti. Trajnimi është kryer për të gjithë 22 hotelierët në rajonin e Sarandës. Projekti arriti një xhiro prej 1.3 milion euro. Prandaj, ne jemi pozitivë se struktura e standardeve të akomodimit në këtë rajon do të ndryshojë dhe do të përmirësohet.
Na ndiqni për projektet e rradhës!
Përmirësimi i standardeve të agjencive të udhëtimit me ETG
Duke punuar për Elite Coaching, një nga qëllimet tona ishte edhe trajnimi i agjensive të udhëtimit në Shqipëri. Prandaj, Elite Travel Group nisi këtë projekt me Lufthansa City Center, Sabre dhe Futouris për të përmirësuar standardet në agjensitë e udhëtimeve në Shqipëri. Qëllimi ishte të ndihmonim agjensitë e udhëtimit shqiptare të përmirësojnë profesionalizmin e tyre në këtë industri.
Në këtë projekt, u trajnuan 40 agjensi udhëtimi në mënyrë që ata të mund të rrisin shitjet e tyre. Prandaj, duke u rikualifikuar, ata u bënë të aftë të përdorin sistemet e nevojshme për çdo agjensi udhëtimi në tregun aktual.
Së pari, ata u trajnuan për të përdorur Sistemin Global të Shpërndarjes (GDS). Ky rrjet i kompjuterizuar i bën shumë më të lehta transaksionet ndërmjet ofruesve të shërbimeve të udhëtimit dhe agjentëve të udhëtimit.
Më tej, ata u trajnuan të përdorin mjete të IT, siç janë Menaxheri i Marrëdhënieve me Konsumatorët (CRM), për të lehtësuar njohuritë mbi klientët dhe segmentimin e tyre, si dhe për të krijuar marrëdhënie afatgjata me ta.
Së fundmi, ata u trajnuan për të përdorur mjetet e menaxhimit të udhëtimit në mënyrë që proceset e rezervimit të bëhen më të thjeshta dhe të shpejta. E gjithë kjo, jo vetëm që përmirëson rrjedhën e punës në këto agjensi, por gjithashtu i ndihmon ata të ofrojnë eksperiencën më të mirë për klientin. Prandaj, nuk do të jetë më e nevojshme që këto agjensi të përdorin mënyrën tradicionale të rezervimit të biletave përmes stafit të Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center.
Në fund të këtij trajnimi, ata të gjithë ishin të kualifikuar dhe arritën synimet e tyre për shitjet.
2020 ka qenë një vit shumë sfidues për agjentët dhe Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center. Sidoqoftë, arritëm një xhiro prej 1.7 milion euro. Kjo është ekuivalente me 50% të shitjeve të sezonit 2019.
Gjatë Janarit dhe Shkurtit të vitit 2020, pati një rritje rekord përkatësisht prej 200% dhe 170%. Këto rezultate tregojnë se në përgjithësi projekti për të përmirësuar standardet në agjensitë e udhëtimeve në Shqipëri, ka qenë shumë i suksesshëm, veçanërisht duke patur parasysh rrethanat e këtij viti të vështirë.
Na ndiqni për përditësime mbi projektet tona të ardhshme!
Travel agency standard setup in Albania with ETG
On the verge of working on Elite Coaching, one of our focuses was the training of travel agencies throughout Albania. More precisely, Elite Travel Group teamed up with Lufthansa City Center, Sabre, and Futouris and created the first project for travel agency standard setup in Albania. The aim was to help Albanian travel agencies improve their professionalism in this industry.
In this project, we chose to train 40 sub-travel agencies so that they could increase their sales. Therefore, by reskilling them they became able to use the necessary systems for any travel agency nowadays.
Firstly, they were trained to use the Global Distribution System (GDS). This computerized network makes transactions between travel service providers and travel agents a lot easier.
Next, they were trained to use IT tools such as Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), to facilitate the knowledge and segmentation of customers as well as boost customer retention. Lastly, they were trained to use travel management tools so that booking processes become more seamless.
All this, not only improves the workflow in these agencies but also helps them deliver the best customer experience. Hence, it will not be necessary anymore for these agencies to use the traditional way of booking tickets via Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center staff.
By the end of this training, they were all qualified and reached their sales targets.
2020 has been a very challenging year for agents and Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center. However, we still achieved a turnover volume of 1.7 million euros. That is equivalent to 50% of the 2019 season sales. During January and February 2020, there was a record growth respectively 200% increase and 170%.
These results show that overall the project for travel agency standard setup has been very successful, especially given the circumstances of this difficult year.
Stay tuned for more updates on our upcoming projects!
A project by ETG and Progress International
On the verge of training hoteliers, this time Elite Travel Group is cooperating with Progress International to train the hoteliers in Durres city, Albania.
During January 2019 Elite Travel Group conducted research visits and interviews with the hotels. Next, there was a selection process where 9 hotels in the Durres region were chosen. The coaching was focused on four main aspects: management, health & safety, customer services, and finances.
Firstly, regarding management, there was training regarding hotel management procedures, staff recruiting and HR management policy, room division management, property management system usage, channel management, and complaint management. Another important part of this step was the cultural source market briefing to better understand customers from different cultures.
Secondly, regarding health & safety, the main focus was to train the housekeeping staff, F&B staff, and also update hygiene procedures.
Thirdly, regarding customer services, there was a training for the sales staff, including reservation handling and front desk. This will lead to more satisfied customers which is crucial for any hotel.
Lastly, there were improvements regarding the financial aspect of the business. We focused on the implementation of a payment gateway, improvement of financial accounting, and also the enforcement of financial compliance.
The result of the project was very fruitful. Elite Travel Group, Elite Academy, and Progress International managed to train all 9 hoteliers and one of them is among the biggest hotelier groups in Albania nowadays.
Training hoteliers in Albania and the Balkans is essential so that they can always comply with the international standards of service. We are proud to say that this coaching project has improved and prepared them for the future of Albanian tourism.
Stay tuned for our next projects and events!
Covid-19: The world’s new enemy pandemic
We are all experiencing difficult times at the moment. People’s lives all over the world are disrupted by the coronavirus – also known as Convid-19. Many people are infected and sadly many have already lost their lives. This disease changed the way we live our lives, the environment we live in and mobility is almost paralyzed, our economies, and our work environment has never seen or experienced before such a big disruption.
covid-19 pandemic balkans
Especially, the tourism sector is affected by this situation to an existential extent.
Covid-19, a respiratory disease, which had its origin in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has now spread globally. Inevitably, the Balkan region makes no exception. The outbreak of this virus evolves rapidly with new cases every day, but as of 30th of March. covid-19 pandemic balkans
Green October:
A sustainability challenge
Four weeks, four challenges. Elite Travel Group constantly strives to become a more sustainable and eco-friendly company. That is why we made October 2019 a green month. From September 30th to October 27th, we had a new sustainability challenge every week.
These challenges were quick, entertaining, and everybody could be a part of them. They were in the form of competitions, and each department represented a team. By the end of the week, the winning team got a prize.
The first challenge of the month was the sustainability quiz. Each day a new question was put up on a poster on the main ETG entrance. Then, everyone had to guess the answer and submit it online. The team that was closer to the right answer would get the most points. As a result, besides aiming to win, this challenge helped us learn a lot of facts about sustainability in Albania.
During the second week, in a 1.5h Workshop, we turned old water canisters, into recycling bins for our departments. For that, we used handicrafts and all sorts of colorful materials. Afterward, we gave points to the most practical, creative, and beautiful bins.
In the third week, we had 15- minute sports or game activities every day during lunch break. These activities consisted of yoga, basketball, and competitive games. We divided into two teams, and each person who participated gained one point. By the end of the week, the team with the most points won the prize.
October 24, 2019, was Albania’s Country Overshoot Day. On this day, Albania used up all the resources that it could sustainably use within one year. To make a change, we had to pick up trash in the “Rinia” park for one hour. We can proudly say that it resulted in a very successful challenge. The aim was not only to create awareness for sustainability issues and to make the company more sustainable but also to have fun as a team. We closed the Green October Challenge with a better understanding of sustainability and also a little more motivated.
Sustainability at Lufthansa City Center
Sustainability at Lufthansa City Center is an important process. In our LCC network, we have some inspiring examples. Let’s start off this new series with a practice from LCC Elite Travel in Albania reported by Elvis Kotherja.
The training was all about creating a Train of Trainers (ToT) program to educate LCC travel agents all around the world. To that program, we also wanted to include the sustainability topic besides other subjects and offer an e-learning option that is available and accessible to everyone at the same time no matter where they are.
We are living in an era of disruption and deep technology changes, and we do believe that by creating this world-class LCC Travel Agent module that includes soft and hard skills, sustainability practices as well as additional skills for the new tools we use today, we can guarantee the LCC family growth worldwide.
We need to have a standard among our Human Resources, so we are known as a brand that offers and shares the same values and quality services. Lufthansa City Center already has the best IT tools, expertise, networking, and purchasing power. With our LCC Travel Agent module, we complete the puzzle of high-end competency. Welcome 2021, worth being a Lufthansa City Center member!
Elite Travel LCC is the first company in Albania to become a Travelife partner, and now in the process of becoming Travelife certified, and we aim to reach it in the second half of 2020.
We have been long working on sustainability practices, which come with different challenges in different countries. Sustainability comes on three aspects, social, economic and environmental.
Our country has been going through a long time of transition period to find its position in the global market. Our education system has suffered so that the young generation could not be offered the right education. Therefore our company has been entirely focused on the social aspect and particularly the education of youth, which is the most valuable and secured investment for the future.
We offer training to young generations in more than 10 professions, where coding and graphic design are the most frequented. We also contribute a lot to the environment. Some of the practices are:
Having all services on IT cloud and use less paper
The paper we use for printing is more expensive but it is biodegradable
Taking stairs instead of the elevator
Car sharing
All the activities mentioned above are monitored by our Green Team that consists of employees of our company.
For more information on Sustainability at Lufthansa City Center please contact Elvis Kotherja at elvis.kotherja@etg.al
Tourism in the balkans post COVID-19
For almost three months, we have been coping with an unexpected situation. It seemed like the outbreak of COVID-19 stopped the world and affected all humankind globally.
Traveling was one of the things that were affected the most, restricting everyone in every corner of the globe. Inevitably, we started to wonder how will tourism be in the Balkans post COVID-19.
Although Covid-19 reached the Balkans, compared to some other parts of the world, there are considerably fewer confirmed cases. The numbers are getting lower and lower each day. Therefore, some countries are taking their first decisions concerning tourism.
Greece, being one of the main tourist destinations, has announced the revival of tourism in July 1st. The government decided to open the country gradually, starting with ancient cultural heritage sites on May 18th, and museums in June. Nevertheless, further details concerning hygienic conditions during flights still need to be clarified on May 15th.
Croatia has lifted almost all measures taken during the pandemic. The government plans to open the borders with neighboring countries soon. Initially, only those who own real estate in Croatia or come for business will enter the country. However, the authorities are seriously considering the start of the high tourist season.
As for other countries of the region, official decisions still need to be made. Yet, most of the Balkans have decided to either ease or lift the preventive measures.
In Albania, we are slowly going back to normality, and the government is gradually lifting the preventive measures. Due to the restrictions that we followed, the virus did not spread as rapidly and massively as in other countries. Therefore, the numbers are decreasing day by day. As a result, 90% of the businesses have reopened, and people do not have curfews anymore.
Meanwhile, hotels, restaurants, and services are preparing to return to business. The government might slowly start opening borders around June 1st, and soon we can be a target destination again. Of course, some rules must be followed. However, since we are a safe country, we are preparing for this year’s touristic season. While doing that, we are making sure that the tourists have a relaxing, and safe experience in our beautiful Albania.
As always, Elite Travel Group is happy to answer any of your questions regarding Albania as a destination. So, do not hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to hear from you.
ETG experience during european VET week
European Vocational Skills Week 2020, the fifth edition of an annual event where different organizations around Europe showcase the best of vocational education and training (VET).
This year, the event was organized to be completely online with the theme “VET for Green and Digital Transitions”. We saw this as a great opportunity to showcase ETG’s initiative to support our local VET programs and also to offer our own through Elite Academy.
The European Vocational Skills Week 2020 was held during 9-13 November. In the frame of this event, Elite Academy presented 7 courses online for students, teachers, and everyone interested. The topics were:
Multimedia in the Future
Guidelines for an excellent tour guide
Brands of Global Tourism Industry
Digital Marketing for the Future
IT & AI in Tourism
Everything about Blogging
Full Stack Developer in .Net
Each presentation introduced the participants to a new perspective on the workforce and explore their talents. The aim was to show students and other participants not simply what we offer, but also to give them some more information regarding their opportunities and inspire them for the future. We were happy to see that around 138 participants enjoyed these webinars. If you missed them you can find the recordings on our Facebook Group.
Due to the success of this event, we look forward to welcome new students who want to participate to our courses at Elite Academy.
Just like the European Vocational Skills Week initiative, we believe that VET is very important not only for the Albanian but also for the European youth. We think that there is a lot of potential to find new talents through VET, and also to prepare students for what the future awaits. In our opinion, if there is enough investment in education and professional training, then we will be leading the next generations towards a better and brighter future.
Stay tuned for our next events and activities!
Industria e turizmit në Shqipëri gjatë 2019
Turizmi padyshim është një nga sektorët kryesorë të ekonomisë botërore. Madje në shtete të caktuara, është një komponent jetësor i ekonmisë. Ka një mori avantazhesh që sjell turizmi për vende të ndryshme. Disa prej tyre janë të ardhurat, zhvillimet e infrastrukturës, krijimi i punëve të reja, si edhe shkëmbimi kulturor mes të huajve dhe shtetasve. Çdo vit World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) sjell raportin vjetor me të dhëna rreth ndikimit të këtij sektori në ekonominë globale, por edhe të të gjitha shteteve specifike.
Sipas WTTC, sektori i turizmit, ka patur një kontribut 10,3% në GDP totale. Gjithashtu, ka siguruar 330 milion të punësuar në nivel botëror. Për më tepër, rritja e industrisë së turizmit (3,5%) ka tejkaluar edhe rritjen e përgjithshme të ekonomisë botërore (2,5).
Raporti për Shqipërinë
Vendi ynë ka një pafundësi potencialesh turistike dhe gjithnjë e më tepër ka parë një fuqizim të këtij sektori. Sipas WTTC, shihet se turizmi ka patur një kontribut prej 358.3 miliard lekë, apo 21.2%, në ekonominë e përgjithshme shqiptare. Kjo tregon se rritja vjetore në GDP nga industria e turizmit është shumë më e lartë sesa rritja e përgjithshme ekonomike në Shqipëri. Ndikimi i kësaj industrie dallohet jo vetëm nga rritja ekonomike që i sjell vendit tonë, por edhe nga kontributi që ajo ka në punësim. Rreth 22,2% e të punësuarve në të gjithë Shqiprinë janë në sektorin e turizmit. Kjo do të thotë një numër të konsiderueshëm prej 254.300 vende pune.
Burimi kryesor i të ardhurave nga ky sektor vjen nga vizitorët ndërkombëtarë me një shumë prej 275.5 miliard lekë. Këto shpenzime nga vizitorët e huaj përbëjnë rreth 76% të totalit.
Pavarësisht shifrave mjaft të larta, Shqipëria ka ende hapësira për t’u zhvilluar, në mënyrë që të arrijë potencialin e saj të plotë. Faktorë si infrastruktura apo cilësia e shërbimeve kanë bërë që zhvillimi i turizmit të mos jetë shumë i qëndrueshëm në terma afat-gjatë. Gjithsesi, nuk mund të mohoet fakti që industria e turizmit në Shqipëri është dhe do vazhdojë të jetë një nga sektorët më të rëndësishëm të zhvillimit ekonomik në vend.
News /përmirësimi i standardeve të akomodimit Posted on 10 Feb 2018 Përmirësimi i standardeve të akomodimit me ETG Ndërkohë që Elite Travel Group ka punuar për Elite Coaching dhe Elite Hospitality, një nga fokuset këtë vit ishte trajnimi i hotelierëve në Shqipëri. Më saktësisht, ETG u bashkua me zyrën Thomas Cook North Europe & Frankfurt dhe punuan së bashku […]
News/përmirësimi i standardeve të udhëtimit Posted on 11 Jan 2020 Përmirësimi i standardeve të agjencive të udhëtimit me ETG Bashkëpunim midis Elite Travel Group, Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center & Elite Academy, Lufthansa City Center, Sabre dhe Futouris Duke punuar për Elite Coaching, një nga qëllimet tona ishte edhe trajnimi i agjensive të udhëtimit në Shqipëri. Prandaj, Elite […]
News/travel agency standard setup Posted on 11 Jan 2020 Travel agency standard setup in Albania with ETG Cooperation between Elite Travel Group, Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center & Elite Academy, Lufthansa City Center, Sabre, and Futouris On the verge of working on Elite Coaching, one of our focuses was the training of travel agencies throughout Albania. More precisely, Elite Travel […]
News /a project by Elite Travel Group Posted on 17 Feb 2019 A project by ETG and Progress International Cooperation between Elite Travel Group, Elite Academy, and Progress International On the verge of training hoteliers, this time Elite Travel Group is cooperating with Progress International to train the hoteliers in Durres city, Albania. How were the hoteliers coached? […]
Blog/covid: the worlds new enemy Posted on 27 Mar 2020 Covid-19: The world’s new enemy pandemic We are all experiencing difficult times at the moment. People’s lives all over the world are disrupted by the coronavirus – also known as Convid-19. Many people are infected and sadly many have already lost their lives. This disease […]
News /sustainability challenge Posted on 06 Mar 2020 Green October: A sustainability challenge Four weeks, four challenges. Elite Travel Group constantly strives to become a more sustainable and eco-friendly company. That is why we made October 2019 a green month. From September 30th to October 27th, we had a new sustainability challenge every week. These […]
News / sustainability at Lufthansa City Center Posted on 31 Mar 2020 Sustainability at Lufthansa City Center Sustainability at Lufthansa City Center is an important process. In our LCC network, we have some inspiring examples. Let’s start off this new series with a practice from LCC Elite Travel in Albania reported by Elvis Kotherja. Elvis, […]
News/tourism in the balkans post covid Posted on 15 May 2020 Tourism in the balkans post COVID-19 For almost three months, we have been coping with an unexpected situation. It seemed like the outbreak of COVID-19 stopped the world and affected all humankind globally. Traveling was one of the things that were affected the most, […]
News / ETG experience Posted on 26 Nov 2020 ETG experience during european VET week European Vocational Skills Week 2020, the fifth edition of an annual event where different organizations around Europe showcase the best of vocational education and training (VET). This year, the event was organized to be completely online with the theme “VET […]
News /industria e turizmit në Shqipëri Posted on 26 Jan 2021 Industria e turizmit në Shqipëri gjatë 2019 Turizmi padyshim është një nga sektorët kryesorë të ekonomisë botërore. Madje në shtete të caktuara, është një komponent jetësor i ekonmisë. Ka një mori avantazhesh që sjell turizmi për vende të ndryshme. Disa prej tyre janë të […]
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