Rr. "Kozma Naska", Nr:33/6,
Elbasan 3001, Albania
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.
First ISRAIR flight to Albania for 2021
Albania has long awaited the restart of travel and tourism post-pandemic. Finally, Albanian tourism is seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Recently we became a green list country and are considered a no-risk destination. For some time now there have been discussions on the arrival of foreign tourists. However, until now we did not have an exact date.
This week there was some good news that the first flight from Israir Airlines will arrive at Tirana International Airport on May 13th. Israir is a well-known Israeli airline that has established direct flights to Albania since 2018. Just like the rest of the world, these flights were halted due to the pandemic. However, Israel has outpaced the rest of the world with vaccinations. Around 55 percent of the population have received one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and more than 41 percent have received two doses. Citizens have also been equipped with green passes to facilitate traveling. That is why tourists from Israel were some of the first that we were expecting. Tourists arriving with this Israir flight to Albania will be exclusively accommodated in 4-stars and 5-stars hotels in Tirana and Golem region in Durrës.
It looks like this first Israir flight to Albania is the start of Albanian tourism recovery.
Stay tuned for more updates!
What will be the travel hygiene trends post-covid?
With the start of the vaccination process and immunization of the population, the travel industry is finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. However, travel and tourism will probably be different from now on. The post-COVID travel era will have increased attention toward cleanliness and hygiene. Despite being vaccinated, most travelers will watch out for health and safety policies. So, what will the picture of the future of travel hygiene trends be?
As airlines start to operate again, it will be essential to them to protect the crew and passengers and also relieve the travel anxiety. That is why they will focus on implementing processes to detect infection, physical distancing, and minimize surface contact. With the right tools for airlines, passengers might experience safer upcoming flights.
From elevated cleaning standards and collaborations with hygiene products producers to robots, hotels all over the world are working to win the customer’s trust. There are also some certifications that these hotels can achieve to prove their safeness. An example is the Safe Travels stamp created by WTTC for those businesses that have adopted their protocols. So, health and safety policies have become one of the most important factors when travelers choose their accommodation.
Tour operators have updated their cleaning and hygiene protocols as well. They must implement necessary sanitation and hygiene measures based on the nature of their activities and attractions. Some examples are contactless payments, provision of gloves and sanitary products for guests and staff, and clear communication as well.
So, to conclude, tourism stakeholders will have to work closely with health and safety officials to rebuild traveler confidence. Destinations that will invest in these measures and meet the new travel hygiene trends, will be able to succeed in the post-COVID-19 travel era.
Radisson Blu: bringing hotel excellence to southern Albania
Starting from Summer 2021, you can find Radisson Blu in the Albanian Riviera. This has been great news for the Albanian tourism and business scene. It is the first time that the brand will be present in the whole Balkan region at Morina Palace, Dhërmi.
Being a well-known international brand, Radisson Blu is expected to give a boost to Albanian tourism. It is also a very important FDI that contributes to making Albania more competitive and attractive to other foreign investors.
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