News/steps towards Elbasan Digital City

Posted on 02 Feb 2021

Oracle agreement: steps toward elbasan digital city 2025

In December, we invited Jane Richardson, the Senior Director of Oracle Academyto the annual youth conference SpoonbillNest 2020. During her speech, she discussed the advancements in computer science and global learning, as well as the role of women in STEM. At the same time, a possible partnership between Oracle Academy and education institutions in Elbasan was mentioned.
Now we can proudly say that this step towards our goal “Elbasan Digital City 2025” has succeeded.

What is Oracle Academy?

Oracle is a global leader in enterprise software and IT solutions. It is well known for its cloud computing and database packages. As a part of their philanthropic program for global learning, they launched Oracle Academy. Its goal is to make advancements in computer and technology education worldwide and encourage innovation and diversity in different technology fields. Their commitment to education started 25 years ago. Now Oracle works with 120 institutions all over the world. Their support consists of curricula, Oracle cloud technology, software, and professional certification.
Now for the first time, we have this partnership in Albania as well starting with the University A. Xhuvani and professional schools of Elbasan.

How will the Oracle program be implemented?

Oracle is a global leader in enterprise software and IT solutions. It is well known for its cloud computing and database packages. As a part of their philanthropic program for global learning, they launched Oracle Academy. Its goal is to make advancements in computer and technology education worldwide and encourage innovation and diversity in different technology fields. Their commitment to education started 25 years ago. Now Oracle works with 120 institutions all over the world. Their support consists of curricula, Oracle cloud technology, software, and professional certification.
Now for the first time, we have this partnership in Albania as well starting with the University A. Xhuvani and professional schools of Elbasan.

What does this mean for future?

The University of Elbasan is the first Oracle Academy partner in Albania. We expect that this will not only change the way and quality of teaching but also attract more students. This program will create a generation that will be equipped with all the necessary tools for a better perspective for Elbasan. That is why we are proud to be a step closer to our initiative “Elbasan Digital City 2025”.
Stay tuned for more updates!

Blog /rebuilding the tourism industry

Posted on 24 Feb 2021

Rebuilding the tourism industry of western Balkans on new market realities and adapting the tourism products to the “New Normal”

This webinar series will be presented on March 3-rd, 17-th, and 24-th, and will reveal important information about adapting to market trends, the new priorities for health and safety protocols, and provide a toolkit for B2B marketing in the current global crisis, all tailored to the needs of Western Balkan economies. More details about the individual webinars can be found attached.

RCC-Landing-Page2

Marlon van Hee will be leading the presentations and will share some practical tools and guidance for accessing the European markets, understanding and marketing USPs, implementing WTTC-protocols for COVID-19 for all sectors in the supply chain, and finding digital alternatives to traditional marketing strategies.

 

The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is an all-inclusive, regionally owned, and led cooperation framework. RCC’s Triple P Tourism Project, a three-year initiative funded by the EU, focuses on the 6 IPA II beneficiaries in the Western Balkans. The project aims to improve the quality of the tourism offer by: creating joint offer/product(s) to foster regional integration in the tourism sector and its joint global promotion; diversifying tourism offer of the region; alleviating policy barriers to development of tourism industry and easing of administrative procedures; improving the level of services related to tourism; and supporting small-scale infrastructure projects to support the development of regional tourism offer/product.

Contact info:

Organization: Elite Travel Group
Address: “Rr. Kozma Naska”, Nr. 33/6, Elbasan 3001, Albania
e-mail: terena.cardwell@etg.al

Contact info:

Organization: RCC TripleP Project
Address: Trg Bosne i Hercegovine 1/V 71000 Sarajevo
e-mail: tourism@rcc.int

March 3, 10 am – 1 pm CET: 

“Adapting Tourism Products for New Priority Markets: Improving access in the new EU market landscape, USPs, and preparing for trade fairs”


This webinar will teach how to successfully export to leading EU source markets through detailed information about trends and developments, (niche) market segments, and developing the right products. Attendees will gain a profound understanding of what B2B partners expect from them. This webinar will also focus on the importance of Unique Selling Points and how to optimize the corporate presentation on/offline including learning how to do an elevator pitch, the difference between B2C and B2B communication. During the webinar, special attention will also be given to the post-Covid era, health and safety, and sustainability practices. Finally, the webinar will help trainees to get better prepared for trade fair participation, including the upcoming ITB Berlin.

 

March 17, 10 am – 1 pm CET: 

“Health and Safety Protocols in the Tourism Value Chain – International best practices and the road towards a Regional Approach”


This webinar includes an overview of international best practices for tour operating businesses, with a focus on how to be adaptive & resilient to the current state of affairs, and the specific needs of various tourism sectors. The importance of alignment of national tourism health and safety criteria with the WTTC-protocols, and of having an audit (management) system in place to monitor and evaluate proper implementation, will be covered. The webinar will also serve as a platform to further discuss the current national tourism health and safety systems in place in the different WB6 economies, to look for synergies and the possibilities to work towards a regional, common approach. Attendees will have access to a downloadable “COVID-19 Manual for Tour Operators”, and also have the opportunity to register for an optional individual Health and Safety Certification exam from Travelife, which is internationally recognized. Guest Speaker: Ms. Lan Chi, Travelife.

 

March 24, 10 am – 1 pm CET: 

“B2B Marketing – Optimizing your Tourism Promotional Activities – a Toolkit for strategic guidance with special attention to COVID-19 and Sustainability”


Attendees will be familiarized with the newly developed “Tourism Destination Promotion Toolbox for Business Support Organizations (BSOs)”. This Toolbox – jointly created by CBI (cbi.eu), ITC (intracen.org), SIPPO (sippo.ch), and IPD (importpromotiondesk.de) – helps tourism businesses and tourism business support organizations (BSOs) to select and implement the optimal (destination) promotion activities and to strengthen destination competitiveness and sustainability, and introduces the following six main tourism promotion tools available:

Trade Fairs (B2C and B2B)
Road Shows
Familiarisation Trips (B2B, press and media)

OFFLINE campaigns
ONLINE campaigns
Press and Media

The Toolbox was developed in 2020, and therefore takes into account Covid-19 and its consequences on the tourism sector, including adaptations of these tools for the current and postpandemic realities. During the webinar, the examples of familiarization trips and trade fairs in the current tourism context will be discussed in depth.

RCC logos
EU logo

Disclaimer: The contents of this document the sole responsibility of the Elite Travel Group and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Regional Cooperation Council and the European Union.

News / një projekt nga ETG dhe Progress International S.A.

Posted on 17 Feb 2019

Nje projekt nga ETG dhe Progress International

Stats
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, Albania.

Trajnimi i hotelierëve vazhdon të jetë pjesë e projekteve tona. Kësaj radhe Elite Travel Group bashkëpunoi me Progress International për të trajnuar hotelierët në Durrës, Shqipëri.

 

Si u zhvillua trajnimi i hotelierëve?
 

Gjatë muajit Janar, 2019, Elite Travel Group zhvilloi punë kërkimore dhe intervista me hotelet në rajonin e Durrësit. Më pas pati një proces përzgjedhjeje ku u zgjodhën 9 hotele. Trajnimi u përqendrua në katër aspekte kryesore: menaxhimi, shëndeti dhe siguria, shërbimet ndaj klientit dhe financat.

 

Së pari, për sa i përket menaxhimit, ka patur trajnime në lidhje me procedurat e menaxhimit të hotelit, 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 kulturor për të kuptuar më mirë klientët nga kultura të ndryshme.

 

Së dyti, në lidhje me shëndetin dhe sigurinë, fokusi kryesor ishte trajnimi i stafit dhe gjithashtu përditësimi i procedurave të higjenës.

 

Së treti, në lidhje me shërbimet ndaj klientit, u zhvillua trajnim për stafin e shitjeve, duke përfshirë rezervimet dhe recepsionin.

 

Së fundmi, ka pasur përmirësime në lidhje me aspektin financiar të biznesit. Kryesisht u diskutua lehtësimi i transaksioneve dhe përmirësimi i kontabilitetit financiar.

 

 

Rezultatet nga projekti
 

Rezultati i projektit ishte shumë i frytshëm. Elite Travel Group, Elite Academy dhe Progress International arritën të trajnojnë të 9-të hotelierët. Njëri prej tyre është një nga grupet më të mëdha të hotelierëve në Shqipëri sot. Trajnimi i hotelierëve në Shqipëri dhe Ballkan është thelbësor në mënyrë që ata të jenë gjithmonë në përputhje me standardet ndërkombëtare të shërbimit. Ne jemi optimist që ky projekt trajnimi i ka përmirësuar dhe përgatitur ata për të ardhmen e turizmit shqiptar.

Na ndiqni për përditësime mbi projektet tona të rradhës!

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 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.

 
Procesi

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.

 
Rezultatet

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!

News/përmirësimi i standardeve të udhëtimit

Posted on 11 Jan 2020

Përmirësimi i standardeve të agjencive të udhëtimit me ETG

Bashkëpunim midis Elite Travel GroupElite 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 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.

Si u implementua projekti?

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.

Futouris LCC training

Rezultatet

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!

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 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.

How was the project conducted?

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. 

Results

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!

News /a project by Elite Travel Group

Posted on 17 Feb 2019

A project by ETG and Progress International

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?

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.

Takeaways from the project

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!

Blog/covid: the worlds new enemy

Posted on 27 Mar 2020

Covid-19: The world’s new enemy pandemic

Covid in action

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 IN THE BALKANS

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

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 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.

 

Challenge #1: The sustainability quiz

 

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.

 

Challenge #2: Trashbin upcycling

 

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.

Green October
 

Challenge #3: Sports and games week

 

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.

Basketball Green Team
 

Challenge #4: Overshoot day, Trash pick up

 

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.

Green Team - Overshoot Day

News / sustainability at Lufthansa City Center

Posted on 31 Mar 2020

Sustainability at Lufthansa City Center

Futouris LCC

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, what was the purpose of carrying out the training?
 

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.

 

What is your position regarding sustainability?
 

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:

  • Stable air condition in the wintertime at 24 degrees

 

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

 

  • Different staff incentivizing to those who produce less CO2 throughout the month

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

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This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.