News / ETG and Albatros S.A. cooperation

Posted on 12 Jan 2018

ETG and Albatros S.A. cooperation:

Coaching the hoteliers

Cooperation between Albatros SA, Elite Travel Group & Elite Academy

 

One of the focuses of our company is coaching the hoteliers, restaurants, and activity providers. For that purpose, we have come up with Elite Coaching and Elite Hospitality, two sub-brands that are aiming to “train the trainers”. For this new project, we have teamed up with Albatros SA and we have worked together to train hoteliers, restaurants, and activity providers from Albania and Kosovo. This project aims to help them improve their standards so that they are compliant with the company’s services.

The Coaching Process

This project started in January 2019. Firstly, the company conducted research visits and interviews at the hotels. Later on, there was a selection process for 45 hoteliers throughout Albania and Kosovo.


Next, we continued the coaching and digitalization process for each of them.

 

Firstly, the process focused on management. During the training, we discussed topics such as hotel management procedures, staff recruiting and HR management policy, property management system (PMS) usage, channel management, and complaint management. Another important part of this step was the cultural source market briefing that will lead to a better understanding of clients from different cultures coming to these hotels.

 

Secondly, another important part is the health & safety compliance training. It was mostly focused on hygiene procedures and F&B staff training. We also explained the importance of a Safety Management System (SMS).

 

Thirdly, we paid attention to customer services and sales staff training, including reservation handling and front desk. This will lead to more satisfied customers which is crucial for any hotel.

 

The fourth improvement was 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.

 

Lastly, we also discussed marketing options and mostly focused on digital marketing. Our proposed options were content writing and multimedia content production to reach as many customers as possible both locally and internationally.

Results of the Project

As expected, we were very satisfied with the turnout of this project coaching the hoteliers, restaurants, and activity providers. Coaching has been conducted for all 45 hoteliers in the region. The project resulted in an impressive growth of 550%. We are positive that it will change and improve hoteliers, restaurants, and activity providers in this region.


Stay tuned for more projects that will be conducted throughout Albania!

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News/Discovering Elite Travel Group’s profit centers

Posted on 15 Feb 2021

Discovering Elite Travel Group’s Profit Centers

As we have mentioned before, Elite Travel Group was established in 2000 and today is a well-known travel company in Albania. On a mission to give people the best of the Balkans and Eastern Europe, we have expanded our business throughout the years.

 

Today, we have six profit centers, which do not offer only leisure services but also corporate travel services and business travel in Albania, as well as contributing to our community with our CSR initiatives.

Click the video for a full description of our brands

Which are our profit centers and what do they offer?

Firstly, we have Elite Travel Albania which is an inbound service provider only to B2C (Business to Client). ETA offers theme-tailored services and guaranteed departures, tours, excursions, shore excursions, transfers, rent a car, luxury programs, and other land products. These services are offered throughout Eastern Europe, the Balkans countries, and Albania as well. Elite Travel Albania’s carefully-crafted routes take you to both the classic sights and lesser-known, rural highlights. The passion and desire are still at the highest level.

Next, we have Elite Travel Agency. It is a tour operator for Albanians traveling out of Albania especially to the Balkan Regions and Central Europe. It offers accommodation for weekends/weekly stays, weekend breaks, cultural trips, and daily excursions. ETAg also has its contracted cruise offers for which inland services are done and operated by Elite Travel Group. And lastly, it offers explorations with 12 international trips in 5 continents, 1 each month. The company bases its work on a very professional staff and with considerable experience in the field of services.

The third profit center is Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center. This profit center provides its services to Albanian clients, Albanian businesses, and also International corporate accounts. These services include airplane tickets, ferry tickets, visa service, accommodation, tour packages, and airport transfers. Elite Travel – LCC with 20 years of experience in the travel business, is already part of a global network Lufthansa City Center known as the best and most reliable company in the global travel market, with about 5500 employees, 650 agencies in most more than 80 countries around the globe.

As for the inbound service provider for B2B (Business to Business), we have Elite DMC. It offers hospitality products such as special accommodation contracts, round trips, theme tours, excursions and experiences, transfer services, shore excursions, Luxury programs, MICE, and many other land services. Elite DMC offers these services throughout Eastern Europe, Balkans countries, and Albania.

In addition, our Elite Mobility profit center offers transport services, rent a car, rent a driver services in Albania and the Balkans. corporate travel services

As for the inbound service provider for B2B (Business to Business), we have Elite DMC. It offers hospitality products such as special accommodation contracts, round trips, theme tours, excursions and experiences, transfer services, shore excursions, Luxury programs, MICE, and many other land services. Elite DMC offers these services throughout Eastern Europe, Balkans countries, and Albania.

In addition, our Elite Mobility profit center offers transport services, rent a car, rent a driver services in Albania and the Balkans. corporate travel services

We have Elite Academy which offers training and courses (especially for the tourism industry) focused on the principles of dual study. This is a nonprofit section, but the company is benefiting by qualifying young employees, improve its image, awareness, and company culture. This is done by offering social responsibility activities and this is considered a profit of professional development. Elite Academy is made of a group of dedicated tourism professionals with a great deal of experience. Everybody is constantly attentive to global tourism trends, especially digitalization, which is constantly changing the industry. Elite Academy is aware of the urgent need for competent serving staff in hospitality, and provide both introductory and advanced training that is specially adapted to the needs of the tourism and hospitality sector. Its courses are characterized by a combination of theoretical training and direct practice.

Elite Coaching helps entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals grow in a variety of ways. They usually work on a fixed schedule to share actionable feedback, personalized advice, and growth plans for their clients to increase company revenue, accelerate their career, or increase business growth. What Elite Coaching does, is a sustainable and smart transformation for the exponential growth of all industries.

For further information and updates, you can follow us on our social media.

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News /commitment & quality monitoring

Posted on 04 Mar 2020

Commitment & Quality monitoring certificate 2019 – LCC Elite Travel

As a member of the Lufthansa City Center Franchise, each year, Elite Travel receives the performance evaluation from LCC Commitment & Quality Monitoring. Recently, our agency got the LCC Top Performer Certificate 3*, reaching the highest possible level. We have achieved this certificate since 2013, and we continue our commitment towards LCC and our high-quality work.

Quality-commitment

What were the requirements for Elite Travel?

Elite Travel LCC had to ensure that each of the four categories was fully completed, in order to obtain the Top Performance Certificate.

 

Firstly, we made sure that the agency’s appearance matched the LCC Corporate Identity.

 

Secondly, we had to keep our data up to date and always at 100%.

 

Thirdly, we had to sign the GDPR and Code of Cooperation. This means that we process the client’s data only to fulfill contractual obligations and only based on their consent.

 

Lastly, we had to be punctual with our payments.

 

As a result, by completing all these steps we closed another successful year with the LCC Franchise.

We are proud to continue to be part of the LCC network and work towards a successful future

Elite Travel Lufthansa City Center

We are proud to continue to be part of the LCC network and work towards a successful future

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News /commitment & quality monitoring

Posted on 04 Mar 2020

Commitment & Quality monitoring certificate 2019 – LCC Elite Travel

As a member of the Lufthansa City Center Franchise, each year, Elite Travel receives the performance evaluation from LCC Commitment & Quality Monitoring. Recently, our agency got the LCC Top Performer Certificate 3*, reaching the highest possible level. We have achieved this certificate since 2013, and we continue our commitment towards LCC and our high-quality work.

What were the requirements for Elite Travel?

Elite Travel LCC had to ensure that each of the four categories was fully completed, in order to obtain the Top Performance Certificate.

Firstly, we made sure that the agency’s appearance matched the LCC Corporate Identity.

Secondly, we had to keep our data up to date and always at 100%.

Thirdly, we had to sign the GDPR and Code of Cooperation. This means that we process the client’s data only to fulfill contractual obligations and only based on their consent.

Lastly, we had to be punctual with our payments.

As a result, by completing all these steps we closed another successful year with the LCC Franchise.

LCC offices
LCC Offices
Top Performer 2019 LCC

We are proud to continue to be part of the LCC network and work towards a successful future

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News / how will business travel change

Posted on 26 Apr 2021

How will business travel change post COVID-19

The year 2020 was a hard hit for travel and tourism, especially for business travel and corporate travel. With the worldwide lockdown and strict travel restrictions, our homes turned into offices, and miles of distance turned to minute-long Zoom meetings.

But what will be the future of business travel post-Covid-19?

Business travel pre-Covid

Business travel is that part of the travel industry that is focused on individuals who travel for work purposes. Therefore, their requirements are different compared to those of leisure travelers. When it comes to this type of customer, travel management companies must take care of transport, accommodation, as well as activities such as meetings, exhibitions, or conferences. For many companies and organizations, business travel has been essential for their success. Consequently, throughout the years it has become a multibillion-dollar industry. As a result, corporate travel is the main source of tourism for major city centers and popular hotel chains. Also, it is responsible for around half of revenues for all major airlines.

How did the pandemic affect corporate travel?

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all sorts of travel and tourism. According to Statista, global business travel spending dropped by 61% in 2020. Meanwhile, in 2019 it reached an all-time high of 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars.

In 2020, businesses have explored a new way of working through virtual meetings and home offices. While they discovered that it can be beneficial, it also reminded them of the importance of human contact. As tech gadgets have tremendously simplified work, they can also lead to professionals experiencing burnout. And in some scenarios, only meeting in person will do.

 

So, when it comes to creating new relationships, it can be difficult to build trust through the screen. Additionally, whenever there are too many people involved not everyone can easily participate in the conversation. So, when dealing with people from different cultures, face-to-face meetings are crucial to seal the deal.

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News / bashkëpunimi ETG dhe Albatros S.A: këshillimi i hotelierëve

Posted on 12 Jan 2018

Bashkëpunimi ETG dhe Albatros S.A:

këshillimi i hotelierëve

Projekt midis Albatros S.A, Elite Travel Group & Elite Academy


Një nga fokuset e kompanisë sonë është këshillimi i hotelierëve, restoranteve dhe ofruesve të aktiviteteve. Për këtë arsye, ne krijuam Elite Coaching dhe Elite Hospitality, dy nën-marka që synojnë të “trajnojnë trajnerët”. Për këtë projekt të ri, jemi bashkuar me Albatros SA dhe kemi punuar së bashku për të trajnuar hotelierë, restorante dhe ofrues aktivitetesh nga Shqipëria dhe Kosova. Ky projekt synon t’i ndihmojë të përmirësojnë standardet e tyre në mënyrë që ata të jenë në përputhje me shërbimet e kompanisë.

Procesi i Trajnimit

Ky projekt filloi në Janar, 2019. Në fillim kompania zhvilloi vizita kërkimore dhe intervista nëpër hotele. Më vonë, u zhvillua një proces përzgjedhje për 45 hotelierë në të gjithë Shqipërinë dhe Kosovën. Më tej, ne vazhduam procesin e trajnimit dhe digjitalizimit për secilin prej tyre.

Së pari, procesi u përqendrua në sektorin e menaxhimit. Gjatë trajnimit, u diskutuan tema të tilla si procedurat e menaxhimit të hoteleve, rekrutimi i stafit dhe politika e menaxhimit të burimeve njerëzore, përdorimi i sistemit të menaxhimit të pronave (PMS), dhe menaxhimi i ankesave. Një pjesë tjetër e rëndësishme e këtij hapi ishte informimi mbi tregun e burimeve kulturore që do të rezultojë në një kuptim më të mirë të klientëve nga vende dhe kultura të ndryshme që vijnë në këto hotele.

Së dyti, një pjesë tjetër e rëndësishme është trajnimi mbi shëndetin dhe sigurinë. Kjo pjesë përqëndrohet kryesisht në procedurat e higjenës dhe rëndësinë e një Sistemi të Menaxhimit të Sigurisë (SMS).

Së treti, vëmendje të veçantë merr shërbimi i klientit dhe trajnimi i stafit të shitjeve, duke përfshirë rezervimet dhe recepsionin. Kjo do të rezultojë në më shumë klientë të kënaqur, gjë që është thelbësore për çdo ofrues shërbimesh.

Së fundmi, diskutuam opsionet e marketingut dhe u përqendruam kryesisht në marketingun digjital. Propozimet ishin shkrimi i kontentit dhe prodhimi multimedias për të prekur sa më shumë klientë si në nivel lokal ashtu dhe ndërkombëtar.

Bashkëpunimi ETG dhe Albatros S.A: këshillimi i hotelierëve

Këshillimi i hotelierëve, restoranteve dhe ofruesve të aktiviteteve pati një rezultat mjaft të kënaqshëm. Trajnimi është kryer për të 45 hotelierët në rajon. Projekti rezultoi në një rritje prej 550%.

Jemi të bindur se këto trajnime do të përmirësojnë ndjeshëm shërbimet e hotelierëve, restoranteve dhe ofruesve të këtyre shërbimeve në rajon.

Na ndiqni për përditësime mbi projekte të reja!

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News / bashkëpunimi i ETG me shkollat

Posted on 12 Nov 2020

Bashkëpunimi i ETG me shkollat VET: 32 studentë në 4 disiplina

Ka kaluar disa kohë tashmë që nga prezantimi i projektit tonë për Përgjegjësinë Sociale të Korporatës, i cili ka të bëjë me edukimin dhe trajnimin e të rinjve në qytetin tonë. Prandaj kemi krijuar Elite Academy. Një pjesë e kompanisë sonë që i dedikohet të gjithë atyre që interesohen për të fituar aftësi të reja për punët e së ardhmes. Sigurisht, partnerët tanë kryesorë në këtë iniciativë kanë qenë shkollat profesionale VET (Vocational Education and Training) në qytetin e Elbasanit.

Multimedia Course

Si bashkëpunon Elite Travel Group me shkollat?

E kemi nisur bashkëpunimin tonë me këto shkolla që në 2008, ndërkohë që kompania jonë, së bashku me internacionalë dhe qeverinë qendrore, synonte të implementonte modelin gjerman Dual VET për edukimin në turizëm. Ka qenë një rrugëtim i gjatë dhe më në fund me përmirësimet e legjislaturës gjatë viteve 2018-2019, jemi të lumtur të ndajmë me ju progresin tonë. Kemi prezantuar kurset e para, që përmbajnë mësim teorik dhe praktik.

Fatmirësisht, kemi patur komunikim cilësor me këto shkolla të cilat na besuan në trajnimin e nxënësve të tyre. Fillimisht, kishim 14 studentë, të cilët morën pjesë në kurse të kategorive të ndryshme. Të gjithë ata që kishin aftësi të mira në gjuhën Angleze arritën të punësoheshin part-time në fushat ku kishin interes. Këtë vit, kemi 33 studentë në semestrin e parë dhe parashikojmë dyfishim të këtij numri gjatë semestrit të dytë.

Developer course

Çfarë duam të arrijmë?

Qëllimi ynë është të mbështesim të rinjtë në këto shkolla duke i drejtuar, frymëzuar dhe duke i ofruar mundësi internship-i. Kjo është diçka që i ka munguar sistemit të arsimit në Elbasan për shumë vite. Rinia ka nevojë të njihet me mundësitë që kanë në vendin e tyre, dhe gjithashtu të zbulojnë pasionin e tyre. Siç ka thënë edhe Menaxheri ynë i Përgjithshëm, Z. Elvis Kotherja – “Çdo student ka talentin e tij. Gjithsesi, ne duhet të jemi të duruar dhe t’u tregojmë çfarë kemi për t’i ofruar. Në këtë mënyrë, ata mund të kuptojnë dhe të zgjedhin atë që dinë të bëjnë më mirë”.

Pra, ne synojmë vendosjen e një standardi të ri për edukimin në qytetin tonë. Jemi të sigurt se vitin pasardhës do të kemi edhe më shumë për të treguar rreth bashkëpunimit mes biznesit, shkollave profesionale (VET) dhe institucioneve lokale.

Na ndiqni për informacione të reja! Bashkëpunimi i ETG me Shkollat VET

LAJMET E KORPORATËS

Blog/the creative playground

Posted on 23 Aug 2019

The creative playground – Elite Travel Group

design-thinking-workshop-6

Play-Doh, a human knot, and planting a tree – what is happening at Elite Travel Group’s headquarter?! To improve communication and team play within the Elite Travel Group as well as with our partners we are constantly working to grow as a company.

 

Therefore we invited Prof. Dr. Claudia Brözel from Germany. Prof. Dr. Claudia works at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development at the faculty of Sustainable Business focusing on tourism. She held an active Design Thinking Workshop to experience a new and creative way to approach future challenges.

What is Design Thinking ?

The concept Design Thinking Workshop is a creative process to define challenges and come up with possibilities and prototypes and to test new ideas to find the best solutions for the company. For two days our team was motivated and moderated through the workshop by Prof. Dr. Claudia Brözel. The main aim: strengthening the team spirit, thinking outside the box, handling a challenge from another perspective – so why not use Play-Doh?!

 

Team building methods like games such as the Gordian knot or a one-on-one interview on a personal level to get to know each other make for a good warm-up – as if it was not hot enough already with 40 degrees outside.

 

After the fun part always comes the creative workflow: Within three groups the Elite Travel Group team identified the responsibilities, the values, and purpose of the company, their own role, and personal goals by using the canvas model.

 

Have you ever asked yourself what your personal role is in your company? What are your strengths and what do you expect from your company and yourself?

 

Creativity was needed from everyone for the actual Design Thinking Challenge on the second day.

 

 

The Challenge: “How might we reach our customer directly with the most fitting product or service?”

 

Three groups approached the challenge from three different perspectives by starting to define the underlined words. The mix of different people from different backgrounds with different opinions obviously resulted in a wide-ranging understanding.

The air got heated up by all these creative minds and ideas. To visualize the outcome of the brainstorming every team member dug deep and let shine through their inner child- and that’s what Play-Doh and lots of other craft materials were used.

 

To conclude the two days Design Thinking Workshop the whole Elite Travel Group team planted a tree together as a symbol of achieving something together as the Elite Travel Family as well as a symbol of creating everlasting experiences and let something grow together. Hand in hand, for a better future.

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Blog /A journey towards sustainability

Posted on 15 Jan 2020

Travelife: a journey towards sustainability

Sustainability integration in business is slowly starting to increase because companies are beginning to realize that they can be more successful by doing good.

But what does sustainability mean in business?

Seeing this great impact of the sustainability strategies, we decided that it was time to incorporate one in our company as well. That is how we found out about Travelife. Travelife is a sustainability system, founded in 2007, which promotes sustainable practices in the travel and tourism industry. This program includes three stages:

The two main categories that are influenced by sustainability in business are society and the environment. A sustainable business must have a strategy to positively affect these fields. On the contrary, if they do not claim responsibility it can bring up issues such as environmental damage and social injustice.

  1. Travelife Engaged
  2. Travelife Partner
  3. Travelife Certified
Elite_Travel_Group_travelife_partner

Since March 2019, Elite Travel Group is a Travelife Partner and since February 2022 Travelife Certified.

What are ETG's aspirations?

As we are about to be the first Albanian company Travelife certified, we know how important it is to have common sense and to care for social life, for the economy of the area and region in which we live, and, last but not least, care about the environment. Sustainability as a concept comes with different challenges in different countries. Since we are considered a country under development, our biggest focus remains on the social aspect. We are pioneering the sustainable policies in Albania, through our public and social activities, society-building concepts through education and training for the young, teacher communities, and the suppliers. We strongly believe that education is the best means by which we can provide the support to tackle the economic and environmental aspects. We know that we alone cannot change the place we live in, but alone we can inspire others and be copied by them, to make today better than yesterday.

What are our achievements so far and what are we planning?

It is worth emphasizing some of our most remarkable moments in this journey towards sustainability. During October 2019 we had the Green Month at our office, which consisted of weekly activities to improve the environment. In the photos below you can see some of them:

Overshoot-Day
Green October: Overshoot Day
Sustainability-Green-October
Green October: A Sustainability Challenge
Green October: Action Day
Sustainability-Poster-Elite-Office

Limiting elevator usage

Something else that we are doing currently is limiting the usage of the elevator at our headquarters. In this way, we can save electricity and encourage our employees to be more active.

Blog/four students internships at ETG

Posted on 16 Jan 2020

Four student internships at Elite Travel Group

Student-Interships-at-ETG

Three Germans, one Chilean, one travel company, four internships – as Pia would say ? During July and August 2019 we welcomed four student interns at our ETG headquarters in Elbasan, Albania. They all came from Eberswalde University in Berlin, which is entirely focused on sustainable tourism. Being part of the Sustainable Tourism Management master’s program, they decided to join our team to complete their internship semester of 17 weeks and they also got to explore a little bit more about Albania.


But what exactly were their tasks?

Pia-Marie Opitz, from Bremen, Germany. Her aim was to support product development, focusing on attractions, activities, and festivals in all regions in Albania. Her task was to help to identify interesting elements, which also empower and support the local communities for further product development.


Nina Saggese, from Mainz, Germany. Her task at Elite Travel was to identify traditional products from Albania through all of the 12 regions. As a foodie and a wine lover, of course, her topics were food, wine & costumes.


Simon Reuter, from Nuremberg, Germany. Being an outdoor sports lover, his task was to identify tourism products in different regions for further development in the future, with special regard to outdoor and adventure tourism.


Gonzalo Torres Flores, from Valparaíso, Chile. His goal in the company was to support Elite Academy, motivate young people, help to organize the training of the staff and improve the employment situation in Elbasan.


They all traveled across Albania and got familiar with our country, our traditions and our people. These travels mostly benefited Pia, Nina, and Simon so that they could gather materials for their internship tasks. Meanwhile, Gonzalo was more focused on the activities of Elite Academy, such as Spoonbill Nest 2019. Having these students as part of our team for four months was also a great opportunity for us. They brought their own perspective, each in their unique way and that is why Elite Travel Group is always open to offer internships. These internships were not the first ones that we have offered as a company and we look forward to having many more in the future with students from all around the world.

 

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