Our Speakers : The Latest Thinking in Tourism & Real Estate
Mr. Salvatore Messina (Italian) is a doctor in International Business Management. He has taught in different countries in Europe and USA. He is a professor of Tourism Politics and International Marketing. He is the Rector of European University for Tourism, Tirana, Albania. His collaboration activities are almost international, as consultant of European Council for the integration between cultural resources and tourism; as consultant of UNESCO for the European Card for small enterprises; consultant in EURAMCO – European American Coalition for Achievement in Business (USA) on international marketing sector. Participated in many international conferences. He has 52 publications related to Economy, Finance, Marketing and Tourism. rector@euft.eu
Mr. Victor Luboyeski (American) has an MBA in International Business. He is the Chief of Party of USAID Rritje Albania project that supports the development of competitive enterprises in five key sectors, including tourism. For the past 20 years he has led economic development projects focused on financial sector, support to businesses and associations and the enabling environment in Africa, Middle East and Eastern Europe. vluboyeski@rritjealbania.com
Mr. Gazmen Toska (Albanian) Principal diploma in France in the field of Engineering, several activities in France in the technical textiles, textile activities in Albania and in Tirana the travel agency “Onufri Voyage” specialized in the incoming of French groups. The foundation “G.Toska” helps the Albanian people in different fields: humanitarian, scholarship, tourism, environment, culture. gasmen.toska@free.fr
Ms. Marinela Jazoj (Albanian) holds a degree in Business Administration and proceeds with an MBA in International Business (London, UK). She has specialized in Tourism Management in 2002. Since 2004 she is the Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Association in Albania (FIAA). As well she is Country Organizer of FIAA’s Conferences and Events throughout years. fiaalb@albaniaonline.net
Mr. Ols Lafe (Albanian) holds a master degree in Classics (2003) and is currently a PhD candidate on Cultural Heritage Management at the State University of Tirana. Between 2004-2007 has been working with the Institute of Archaeology (Academy of Sciences), while since 2007 he has been employed with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports. At present he holds the position of the Director of the Cultural Heritage Directorate (2008), which oversees the management of archaeological parks, national museums and monuments as well as intangible heritage. He is a member of the Technical Secretariat of the Council of Territory Planning of Albania, as well as a member of numerous decision-making bodies in the field of restoration, archaeology, museums and the national archives. Ols.Lafe@mtkrs.gov.al
Mr. Arnoud Zaalberg (Dutch) holds a degree in Hotel Management, has 20 years experience in the tourism industry. Worked for Marriott, Inter Continental and for the last 4 years for Starwood were he currently holds the position of General Manager for the Sheraton Tirana Hotel. Arnoud.Zaalberg@sheraton.com
Ms. Franka Paloka (Albanian) has a degree in Urban Planning and Architecture. Prior to her career she has been active in public administration and specifically in the Ministry of Tourism as an Adviser and Director of Tourism. Ms. Paloka has developed very good relations managing projects with Association of Banks of Albania, USAID, MCCA, NALAs, and Project “Life” EU. Tourism development and related issues have been subject to many articles written by her. At present she is General Director of the National Tourism Agency of Albania dealing with the promotion and investment in tourism. franka_paloka@yahoo.com
Mr. Enver Mehmeti (Albanian) is the Chairman of ATA - Albania Tourism Association. From 1993 he has been involved in Travel Industry Business, private activities under VAS GROUP (ALBTOURS D- Vas Tour Operator, ALITALIA Airlines and ADRIA Airways exclusivity). The group manages tourism services such as Incoming-Outgoing; Ticketing; Rent a Car, etc. Last year the group launched the only Media Travel operating in Albania with frequencies 104.6 FM called RADIO TRAVEL. e.mehmeti@ata.org.al
Mr. Marcel Leijzer (Dutch) holds masters degrees in Human Geography (1990) and in Policy Science (1993). In the early nineties he carried out various consultancy assignments in the field of sustainable tourism development and environmental management. From 1995 to 2006, he worked for the Netherlands Development Organization SNV, as tourism advisor in Tanzania, Bolivia and at SNV Head Quarters. In July 2006, he moved to UNWTO, where he is the Deputy Director of the Technical Cooperation and Services Programme, and specifically focuses on supervising a portfolio of projects that aim to enhance the local economic impact from tourism; including one project in Korca Region, Albania. mleijzer@unwto.org
Ms. Nevila Popa (Albanian) holds a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. She is a Tourism Expert at USAID’s Rritje Albania Project and is leading several initiatives in tourism within the project. She has been involved with tourism for more than 13 years combining extensive industry experience working for a tour operator, travel agency and hotel, as well as USAID project experience and tourism consultancy. Her work in USAID’s projects with tourism program has been focused in creating a range of international and local industry, donor agency and governmental partnerships and providing technical assistance to stakeholders at the national and local levels. npopa@rritjealbania.com
Mr. Kliton Gerxhani (Albanian) holds a BBA in International Tourism Management and Consultancy at Breda University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands. He is Director of Albania Holidays, a Destination Management Company that he co-founded in 2005. He is also co-owner of Theranda Hotel in Tirana. For more than 10 years he has been involved in public discussion about development of Albanian tourism, through publishing different articles in Albanian media and as a guest in different Albanian television’ talk shows on tourism. Mr. Gerxhani has been in the leading positions of the Albanian Tourism Association (ATA), starting as the Chairman of Tour operators, Travel Agencies and Tourism Transport’s Sector, while over the last two years (January 2009 - January 2011) he was the President of ATA. k.gerxhani@albania-holidays.com
Mr. Kujtim Hashorva (Albanian)is a Doctor of Sciences. At present he is the Director of Road Transport Policy Directorate (MPPT). Besides, he also holds the position of the Chairman of Steering Committee at SEETO (South-east European Transport Observatory; Member of Transport Management Board (CEMT); Country Coordinator of CEI; Mr. Hashorva has been the Coordinator and negotiator of 40 Bilateral Agreements of Road Maritime and Air Transport, as representative of Albanian Government in the field of Transport. kujtim.hashorva@mppt.gov.al
Mr. Christopher Hinteregger (Austrian) is Project Coordinator for Southeast- and Eastern Europe at Kohl & Partner Hotel & Tourism Consulting. Kohl & Partner has more than 30 years of experience in the field of tourism development and is the leading tourism consulting company in Austria. Currently Kohl & Partner has 10 offices in seven countries offering
services in four business areas: hospitality industry, tourism destinations, tourism infrastructure and seminars & trainings. Clients range from private investors, who plan to develop a hotel or a tourism attraction to public authorities, who want to professionally develop tourism in their destination. christopher.hinteregger@kohl.at
Mr. Perparim Kalo (Albanian) is the Founder and Managing Partner of KALO & ASSOCIATES. He is a Law Graduate from Tirana University and was graduated as Master of Laws in U.S. and Global Business from Suffolk University in 2009. Thanks to the investment in this firm of his 30 years of working experience, of which 20 years as commercial law expert, Mr. Kalo, has been praised by the Albanian Bar Association for his special contribution in the development of the commercial practice in Albania. Mr Kalo has shared his views on business topics in many conferences and workshops in Albania and overseas, including Tourism and Real Estate. Last year he was a speaker on Tourism to the 2nd UK-ALBANIA Investments Forum in London. In this FIAA conference Mr Kalo is speaking on legal framework that would encourage tourism business in Albania. p.kalo@kalo-attorneys.com
Mr. David Milne (Canadian) is the International Project Manager for the UNDP Kukes Region Tourism and Promotion Project which supports the development of the region's tourism sector through cross sector capacity building and the development of tourism infrastructure projects that will serve as catalysts in the development of tourism. He has spent 6 years in Albanian helping to develop the country's tourism sector and worked in numerous other countries over the past 25 years working in the tourism sector in Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and Canada. David.Milne@undp.org
Mr. Mike Wilson (British) lives in London with offices in the city of London, a founder member and Promoter of Gose Golf & Beach Resort, "Gose Island". Mike is involved in different areas of real estate. One is Developing Independently large luxury 'lifestyle' homes in England. Another specialist area of him (besides being a Director, shareholder and Development consultant to several UK and international companies) is Coordinating specialist Teams in international development concepts for tourism. He does this by providing management information appraisals, Procurement, Architectural, pre-planning consultation, Building programs, Acquisition and Construction finance. Over the years Mike has established a global network of International Development contacts in emerging markets resorts in property, Hotels, Golf and Beach Development, Sales, Marketing, Banking in Development and Tourism related matters. Mike has had firsthand experience in dealing with the government and authorities of Albania since 2007 and believes he has sufficiently good knowledge to speak on the subject of Foreign Investment in Albania. mike.wilson40@ntlworld.com |
