TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE AUGUST 2021

TUMO’S BIG GOAL: To Enable Youth Acquire

TUMO CENTER Manager: Shqipe Berisha

Schüco ASE 60 - Sliding and lift-and-slide system with excellent thermal insulation values and slim face widths

For more information or support, please contact our sales representative: +355 68 20 50 919 or a.hasani@alukoenigstahl.com

IF CONCEPT DESIGN FAILS, BRAND OR STARS DON’T ADD VALUE

BY JOSE PINTO*

ost people invest in hotels with the intentions of making a profit, but many often end up failing. Strangely enough, hotel failures are always preventable– harshly bleeding the asset columns of “knowledgeable experts” who violated the wisdom and principles of a sustainable Hotel Investment. Hundreds of Hotels with amazing potential are barely scraping by and their owners continue to pouring in money hoping that, “someday”, they will actually see profit.

The concept design is rooted in traditions of the hospitality. Since ancient times, the development of many diverse types of hotels, brands and services has occurred in many cultures, but they always start by design conception, some of them taking years on this stage.

Today it seems that everyone is an expert and before anything, they start by architectural design “as they dreamed “with the help of Architects Companies that have no experience at all in Hotel concept design.

After 45 years in the hotel industry I have seen many successes and failures.

The last few years I have gotten more and more directly involved in the businesses of Hotel Investments and I have seen a clear difference in revenue and profitability in hotels where the project definition starts right.

There are hundreds of points that increase the revenue potential and therefore the ROI of an hotel or resort, which architects, designers and

investors are not deeply looking at either by not knowing or?

I would just like to innumerate points that you as an investor or Owner should CONCENTRATE ON:

FIRST – DO NOT ALIGNED WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE, I mean ensure that you contract the right professionals. The most expensive thing you can do is to hire an inexpensive amateur or company to engage in your decisions.

SECOND – DON’T BE BURNED BY

WRONG OR NOT ACTUALIZED MARKET STUDIES. Poor marketing studies or rundown over year’s statistics can be deadly costly.

THIRD - PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR LOCATION. Your investment can be set to fail if your location is weakening over time. Ensure you have strong concept even if it takes time to identify.

FOURTH – POOR ASSUMPTIONS. Underwriting assumptions (assumption of risk) as commonly said are obvious factors that can take you to make bad

decisions and ultimately can be a cause of a very slow ROI or a Total Failure. I’m surprised to see and listen how many investors are making decisions on poor or incomplete or outdated information, assumptions or for trusting the wrong people or consultants. It’s terrible to hand your hotel over to the bank or private investment

companies due to poor assumptions, feasibility etc.

FIFTH – COMPETITION and MARKET ENVIRONMENT.

Update your marketing studies and adjust the concept and your feasibility over the time to win or the competition can complicate the existence of your business if you don’t have the right concept to start with. Be ahead of them.

THE FINAL WORD

The Covid-19 has accelerated trends and brought many of us to the ancient roots of real hospitality forcing the hoteliers to review the fundamentals of their value proposition and go beyond the traditional definition of a hotel as a “place to sleep, eat and look at views”. Indeed, the sole value of a hotel can no longer be based nor limited by its physical asset or location. Like on past the content creation and diversity of services, venues and product has become an important subject as

location and interior design. To unlock new area of growth, hotel investors across the world start to transform their dream into new concepts that break conventional hotel/resort and once they do it they become long term winners. It is well worth the investment to put more thought into it prior to starting any architecture design or construction. Look out of the box for new concepts

and design opportunities. So it is important to have the involvement of a hotel expert from the development and design stage of a new hotel project.

There are still owners and developers that simply create a hotel/resort and place in someone’s lap to manage, but forget that

“If Concept design fails, Luxury, Brands or Stars can’t add value”

*Founder of JPHOSPITALITY.EU Contact at jose.pinto@jphospitality.eu

TUMO’s Big Goal: To Enable Youth Acquire the 21st Century Skills

BY RUDINA HOXHA

“f we want a generation competent for future jobs, schools need to reinvent their curriculums and include more effective learning environments to promote the development of digital literacy skills. That is precisely the gap that TUMO is filling - offering a learning center where technology and art merge to provide teens a competitive edge in the digital world,” says Ms. Shqipe Berisha, General Manager of TUMO Tirana (www.tirana.tumo.al) in an exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE.

IShe explained that at Tumo Tirana, students between 12-18 years old, are introduced to a new kind of educational experience. “Students find a hands-on learning approach, a unique learning path based on their interests while developing their skills in eight different fields: Animation; Graphic Design; Game Development; Filmmaking; Programming; 3D Modeling; Music and Robotics. Learning is independent, delivered through a software-based platform in English, allowing students to create their personalized learning plan as they are assisted by experienced coaches.”

In her interview, TUMO’s General Manager reveals in details all the possibilities that the Center offers for the students.

TUMO was brought to Tirana by The Albanian-American Development

Ms. Shqipe Berisha

Foundation (AADF) in partnership with the Municipality of Tirana and TUMO Headquarters, early in October of 2020. It is currently situated at the Air Albania Stadium (Arena Center), and the center occupies roughly 1,242 SQM of space on the 3rd floor. Since the opening, the center has reached full capacity, welcoming 1,000 teens per week who are now attending these innovative learning sessions.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Please tell us more about yourself and your journey at TUMO?

Since August 2020, I am the general manager of TUMO Tirana, the newest tech center for teens in Albania. After a very long career in telecommunications,

I stepped into the educational area leveraging my knowledge in the latest technological trends and business acumen to contribute to preparing the success of our new generation in a digital world.

TUMO is expected to make a real impact and produce change-makers. What unique services does TUMO provide to the Albanian students?

At TUMO, teens learn technical skills at the intersection of technology and design while also gaining industry knowledge and soft skills essential for success in the digital world. Students find a hands-on learning approach, a unique learning path based on their interests while developing their skills in eight different fields: Animation; Graphic Design; Game Development; Filmmaking; Programming; 3D Modeling; Music and Robotics. Learning is independent, delivered through a software-based platform in English, allowing students to create their personalized learning plan as they are assisted by experienced coaches. Students also attend workshops, led by workshop leaders who are industry pros in Albania and abroad. They chart their own learning path through hands-on activities, workshops and projects. Each learning mode offers unique opportunities for student growth and is designed to push all types of learners outside of their comfort zones and achieve concrete results. The goal of this center is to improve the quality of education in Albania and to

enable youth to acquire the 21st century skills needed for the evolving job market.

Innovation and technology are now a necessity for companies to thrive, how can TUMO help them to make the best of these?

If we want a generation competent for future jobs, schools need to reinvent their curriculums and include more effective learning environments to promote the development of digital literacy skills. That is precisely the gap that TUMO is filling - offering a learning center where technology and art merge to provide teens a competitive edge in the digital world.

This is achieved by introducing a new kind

of educational experience. The TUMO software that teens use at the center, called TUMO Path, is an artificial Intelligencebased educational platform that combines a personal learning plan, a constantly evolving timeline that can span up to two years. It suggests the best route for each learner to take through the TUMO program and dynamically adapts to their pace and preferences over time. As teens progress through the timeline, completing projects and leveling up skills, they build a digital portfolio of results that becomes their living diploma. This new learning experience puts the students at the focus, while providing them with all the tools and knowledge they need. On top of that, TUMO offers the latest tech, equipment and software, and

a modern and unique environment where teens can explore their creativity and gain digital and analytical skills.

How sustainable is TUMO?

TUMO was founded and is primarily financed by Sam Simonian of “The Simonian Educational Foundation”. The first center opened in Yerevan, Armenia in 2011 and from then it has expanded in other cities in Armenia and abroad. In recent years, TUMO has received a lot of international attention due to its unique philosophy in offering a new kind of education experience that puts the students in focus, enabling them with all the assistance they need to reach their maximum potential. The French magazine “We Demain” has ranked Ten Best Schools worldwide with TUMO Center for Creative Technologies on the top of the list. Moreover, many key personalities around the world have expressed their appraisal and interest in TUMO, leading to the

establishment of TUMO Centers in cities like Paris, Beirut, Berlin, Moscow and now Tirana.

TUMO was brought to Tirana by The Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF) in partnership with the Municipality of Tirana and TUMO Headquarters, early in October of 2020. We are currently situated at the Air Albania Stadium (Arena Center), and the center occupies roughly 1,242 SQM of space on the 3rd floor. Since the opening, the center has reached full capacity, welcoming 1,000 teens per week who are now attending these innovative learning sessions. Students have at their disposal common study areas, workshop rooms, and learning labs equipped with the latest technology. There’s also a state-of-the-art music studio where more advanced students can put their skills and creativity to the test when creating original projects and gaining exposure to professional-level equipment and software.

In the fall of 2022, the center will move to its permanent home in the Pyramid of Tirana. MVRDV, a renowned Dutch architectural studio, will revitalize and transform the space into a multifunctional center for technology, culture, and art. The new design of the

Pyramid incorporates an open plaza with public spaces, including a library. And there will be units that startups can hire, especially those that are complementary to the Tumo program. The pyramid will function as a not-for-profit center and will be dedicated toarts, media, visual arts, and the ICT (Information and communications technology) community.

In your view, how serious can the merging of art with technology be? Research shows that interdisciplinary teaching helps advance critical thinking and cognitive development. In a world that is constantly changing, it is important to prepare teens so they have a diverse background and are prepared for the future of work, even for professions that don’t exist now. By broadening their horizon and introducing them to new fields and disciplines at the intersection of arts and tech, students are highly motivated as they have a vested interest in pursuing topics that are interesting to them. As a result, learning becomes meaningful and purposeful, resulting in learning experiences that stay with the student for a lifetime.

TUMO is an experimental place where the idea is not to just teach classes but to make students feel comfortable and build a very strong foundation for their future careers. They prepare to become competitive candidates for fast-growing industries at a global scale, expand horizons and develop

their mentalities towards a civic and professional value system that is based on merit, communication, teamwork, initiative, trust, and self-confidence.

What is the TUMO invitation to the prospect students who love to develop their technology skills?

Everyone who is between 12-18 years old and is interested in trying a new learning experience where they can create their own paths is welcomed to stop by the center and visit us.

At TUMO, you are encouraged to explore, create and follow your passions, while at the same time diversifying and improving your skills.

If you want to learn more about TUMO, visit www.tirana.tumo.al.

As teens progress through the timeline, completing projects and leveling up skills, they build a digital portfolio of results that becomes their living diploma.

The TUMO software that teens use at the center, called TUMO Path, is an artificial Intelligencebased educational platform that combines a personal learning plan, a constantly evolving timeline that can span up to two years.

LOUVRE HOTELS GROUP:

We Aim to be a Strong Player in Albania, to Sign Multiple Contracts

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

AdamKonieczny

TRAILBLAZING

MAGAZINE meets with Adam Konieczny, Louvre Hotels Group’s Development Director

for Europe to reveal some of the many exciting projects this major player in the global industry has in the pipeline for Albania.

With over 1,175 hotels for a total capacity of more than 100,000 guest rooms in 51 countries, Louvre Hotels Group operates a complete portfolio of 6 brands ranging from 1 to 5 stars: Première Classe, Campanile, Kyriad, Tulip Inn, Golden Tulip and Royal Tulip. Louvre Hotels Group is owned by Jin Jiang International Holdings Co. Ltd., one of China’s leading travel and tourism

conglomerates and fifth hotels group worldwide.

In this exclusive interview, Konieczny said that he visited Albania for the first time on July 2020 after he heard positive things about this country in one of the prestigious tourism forums. Now Louvre Hotels Group’s soft brand Hôtels & Préférence has already signed two contracts for existing hotels in Albania. These hotels are already part of Louvre Hotels Group’s network.

“This was for us our first step into the Albanian market. We are looking at different parts of the country,” Konieczny says.

He is quite positive because the market is at a very interesting stage now.

“We decided to make a push on the market and are looking for opportunities in resorts and city hotels. There is a big opportunity on resorts since the biggest advantage of Albania is its coastline. And the coastline is long enough so we can be present in different places with our hotels, especially 4* and 5*, Golden Tulip and Royal Tulip,” he underlined in this interview.

Full interview below:

Can you make an introduction of Louvre Hotel Group?

Louvre Hotels is a Group that originated in France. It was founded in the 70s by the Taittinger Family – the champagne producers. At the very beginning, they were focused in midscale and economy hotels. Our first brand was Campanile. Then, the Group developed organically until 2005 when it was taken over by Starwood Capital, the US Fund. Four years later, in 2009, Starwood Capital bought Golden Tulip, a

group with Dutch roots and merged it into Louvre Hotels Group.

For many years, Golden Tulip had a strategic partnership with KLM Airlines. That’s why when Starwood Capital took over Golden Tulip, they had a very good global coverage since the idea was that they would open hotels in every destination where KLM was flying. So, since 2010, we are the owners of the brands. We have brands in all the segments of the market, so from 1 star to 5 stars.

But what happens next?

In 2015, we were fully acquired by Jin Jiang which is the biggest group in China as well as a big tourism holding. Before the pandemic started in 2019, every third person traveling abroad from China used the services of our group. In other words, it is a really integrated holding. What Jin Jiang decided to do was to promote our brands in China. We have introduced our

“Louvre Hotels is a Group that originated in France”

brands Campanile, Kyriad and Golden Tulip on the Chinese market. At the moment, we are the biggest franchisor in China.

So, as part of Jin Jiang, we are now part of the second biggest group in the world, but since we have a very strong secured pipeline, it is only a matter of time until we become the biggest. We have a very strong pipeline of our Louvre Hotels Group brands. In Europe we have been present in most major markets for years now. France is our largest market coming from our origins, but we have properties throughout the continent. Looking at Central Eastern Europe, Poland has the biggest platform since we have our own hotels, we have management contracts, we have franchise. There is a regional office in

Warsaw to manage our network in the area. We also have properties under franchise in Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Cyprus to name a few.

What brought you to Albania?

I heard a lot of positive things about Albania during different events which I was attending. First time it was at the Adria Hotel Forum which is held in Zagreb. There was a panel on Albania at this event. I met people from Albania who invited me to visit the country and see the market and its opportunities. I was delayed because of the pandemic but I managed to come in July 2020 for the first time in Albania. I am quite positive because the market is at a very interesting stage now. We decided to make a push on the market and are looking for opportunities in resorts and city hotels. There is a big opportunity on resorts since the biggest advantage of Albania is its coastline. And the coastline is long enough so we can be present in different places with our hotels, especially 4* and 5*, Golden Tulip and Royal Tulip.

So Louvre Hotels Group is

eyeing Albania?

Our soft brand Hôtels & Préférence has already signed two contracts for existing hotels in Albania. These hotels are already part of our network. This was for us our first step into the Albanian market. We are looking at different parts of the country, Durres city is one hotspot where we will have a potential project. Then in the south the area between Vlora and Saranda. We are also working on a big Royal Tulip resort. These are the two most advanced projects we are working on.

As for Tirana, we also have some plans

to introduce more products. The midscale brand Campanile is suitable for the cities. In the Albanian capital, we intend to bring Tulip Residences (an extended-stay concept) because I think this is very good for the business travelers. For example, business travelers can use it from Monday to Friday and during the weekends, we can offer the room to families. So, it is a very interesting product to develop.

We also have a hostel concept which is called “Hosho”. This was something completely new. We just opened the first one in Paris. I think it is a fantastic product. Definitely I see a place for this product in Tirana as well.

The advantage of this product is that it can be easily converted from a small office building, let’s say, around 2000 square meters, we can have even up to 240 beds in different

“This was for us our first step into the Albanian market”

configurations of rooms. There are some 4-bed rooms, 6-bed rooms and 8-bed rooms.

We are also innovators in another concept: placing two or three brands in the same building with one common parking, one kitchen, one common back of house and one management team. In Warsaw, for example, we have already developed a complex where there are three brands at the same time: Première Classe , Campanile and Golden Tulip.

Altogether 460 rooms.

What are the further steps regarding Albania, Balkans? What pillars do you intend to embrace from now on?

I think we will be able to be announce a couple of projects later this year. Our strategy is to sign multiple contracts in Albania. We want to be a strong player here. That’s why I am spending time in Albania. Even the Louvre Hotels Group’s Chief Development Officer, Max Cergneux, visited Albania this year. We are very confident that this is a market where we want to be and we are putting a lot of focus here.

At the moment, we are also looking at projects on the neighboring countries such as Montenegro and Greece. We aim to further increase our presence in the Balkan countries where we

already are present such as Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria.

We see lately an increased interest of the Polish tourists in Albania. Is this also connected to the new plans of Louvre Hotels Group in Albania?

Yes, this is a big advantage for us because we have a strong presence in Poland. So, Polish customers know our brand. We will be able to bring even more Polish customers when we have hotels with our brands in Albania. In Poland we are ranked second as a hotel group. I see many Polish tourists who want to come and spend time in Albania and even investing in properties.

The link between Poland and Albania is very strong. There is a direct flight not only between Tirana and Warsaw but also other Polish cities. We are looking forward to the future opening of Vlora airport.

In the future, we see that the market will be growing, and more and more Polish tourists are coming to Albania. Our intention is to make available hotels for people throughout the year, not only during summer. Polish customers like to

travel even out of season especially in the south of Europe. More guests are coming from Western Europe where we are very strong like in France, Germany or Netherlands.

How do you deem the latest developments in Albania and how do you perceive Louvre Hotels Group among the many competitors which are in Albania? This is a trend which happened in other countries before. The question is: “what differentiates us?”

We offer to the investors much more flexibility because we are a true European hotel group and now with a Chinese owner. In terms of concept, our brands, like Royal Tulip and Golden Tulip, are easier to convert and this will give us the possibility to rebrand some of the existing hotels and connect to our network. Because we have brands in all the segments of the market, we can find a solution for many hotels. So, we don’t need to focus on the new developments but also on existing hotels. During the last visit in Albania, I noticed some new hotels which can be rebranded by us and can get access to our global distribution system.

“We want to be a strong player here”

FRENCH FINEST PASTRIES ONLY AT BUKA FRANCEZE

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

properly. For her, quality is the King and the detail the Queen. That’s why her business resists to time.

For 23 years, the French businesswoman, Marie Therese

Marchal , has been welcoming an innumerable amount of Albanian and foreign clients in her particular shop – Buka Franceze (French bread) – positioned just in front of the Swiss Embassy in Tirana at ex-Bllok area. Marie, who recently turned 72, loves what she does and what she does, she does

“Yes, 23 years with Buka Franceze! I haven’t felt the years because of working without a stop and because I like so much to create. It is fantastic,” Marchal says while she puts on our table fresh croissants, éclairs, brioche, macaroons and mille-feuille. Looking and tasting such “objects of desire,” you realize that the secret is the hard work and passion. Handmade using only the best ingredients from Albania, France and Belgium, such pastries are a must for every sweet devotee.

“I have been the first to introduce

Photo credit: Trailblazing Magazine

Model of Trailblazing Magazine: Livia Hoxha

macaroons in Tirana some 14 years ago and later, the French croissants, brioche and other special pastries like St. Honor.

Many have tried to copy them but they have failed because French pastry chefs have come to train my staff or they have gone to France to gain experience,” she beams with joy.

“I am proud of my pastries, they can compete with the pastries in the French shops. I have always liked the idea of turning Buka Franceze into “a second” French Embassy,” she says.

The shop is all decorated by her. She has done a lot with little money. “ What is interesting about me is that I do a lot with little money. I don’t need to buy expensive things. Simple means beautiful,” she says.

One of her oldest brothers, who started as a patisserie chef at the age of 14, supported Marie in her endeavor. But as she reveals her parents and her grandfathers and grandmothers were in the restaurants’ business, so she was raised in such an environment.

“When I came to Albania, the cream caramel was the dessert in fashion. Not much variety. So I opened a small pastry shop. My brother helped me a lot. He was a stimulus,” Marchal says.

Through all these years, she confirmed that to make a sustainable business, a lot of will, courage and hard work are needed. Even in the times of pandemic, Marie never closed the shop. She kept buying the same expensive ingredients, not cheaper, in order to keep the quality of her special products. “Happy customers are far more important than the money. I remember one lady sent me a postcard thanking for the wonderful cake and pastries we did for her. This is a little thing but it meant a lot to me,” Marchal says.

Her fame has gone beyond the borders of Albania. Many Kosovars visit her shop and enjoy the wonderful pastries.

Before they leave, they get bags with her “masterpieces.”

“Often I have thought of a franchise of Buka Franceze in Prishtina because the Kosovars as well like my products and they consume a lot. Hopefully the interest will be materialized some day,” Marchal says.

How to Take Advantage of New Marketing Trends in “Boring” Industries?

BY STEFAN MILOVIC MARKETING MANAGER AT ALUKÖNIGSTAHL

You’ve certainly seen good marketing campaigns for some popular brands that leave you breathless. Be sure to follow some celebrities who promote certain brands. And you’ve probably heard of the term influence marketing. If you work in some “unpopular” industries, you must have wondered: Does my “boring” industry need influence marketing and how to use them? In short, we all need it because we can easily capitalize on social media by supporting “celebrity” media, of various levels, to advertise our products or services to our followers. It’s basically the practice of building relationships with people who can build relationships for you, in a way that can be like networking, thus achieving a win-win situation. The emphasis is on people of influence, not just the target audience. An influencer, who may have a large or small audience, can reach users through their social media profiles. Influencers are essentially modern celebrities who gain the trust of like-minded people and can add credibility to the products and services they promote. Influence marketing is essentially the fastest growing method of

“buying” new customers. According to the latest research, with $ 1 invested in influencer marketing, a return of $ 6 is obtained. Predictions are that influencers will be more engaged than the marketing agencies themselves.

Every industry has its own compelling story and its own influencer!

Today, you will rarely hear people talk about how you can use marketing content for construction products or fishing supplies. That’s because they’re not as “sexy” as brands like Mercedes or Old Spice. But that doesn’t mean they can’t use creative marketing content to stand out and become a leader in their industry. It can be especially exploited through the impact of influencers. Through my own example, I can say that for every “uninteresting” industry, a suitable influencer can be found. That is not in dispute. The hard part of the job is finding a link between your brand and impact methodology.

Every industry can be interesting when it comes across a unique and engaging story to connect with a brand. Old Spice was a boring deodorant before the Old Spice guy came along. It’s all about developing a unique and interesting

story that targets an audience that can be influenced. In this way, but also through the use of influence marketing, you can become a leader in your “boring” industry and beyond.

Content is king!

If you also have a small dose of interest in marketing, you’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king.” If you’re serious about marketing though, these are the three words that probably resonate in your ears and haunt your dreams!

Like most clichés, the reason this phrase has become so popular is because there is an element of truth. In the 21st century, creating innovative, breathtaking content is essential to any marketing strategy, especially if you want customers to click, name or buy your product - or at least, remember your brand. Unfortunately, you can’t use the same methods of creating “good content” if you compare it with examples or case studies from brands of “exciting” industries like fashion or technology, as is often the case.

In reality, if you are passionate about your product or customers have asked you questions; you have the opportunity to create content. If you have employees and organizational culture; you have the opportunity to create content. I’ve never met a company or organization that is too boring for content development. Forget the myths!

One myth I regularly encounter in my work is that you have to be in an interesting industry to generate interesting content for a general audience. For example, one example is a large construction equipment manufacturer. You may think that it is difficult to create interesting content about digging holes or assembling a

facade, but you would be wrong! Impacts in the construction segment regularly garner hundreds of thousands of views on their videos on the YouTube channel, and there are also popular architectural profiles on Instagram with a million followers. This is because people often search your segment of the “boring” industry through questions, tips, recommendations and instructions on search engines. Take advantage of this opportunity and offer creative solutions.

People want to have fun. They want to share something else with friends. The key to bringing creative ideas is to

discard all the rules and invest time in the brainstorming process. Lock your team in a room for an hour or two and you’ll see who can come up with the craziest, scariest ideas. What if you’ve made a perfume or parody or chosen a bizarre or controversial topic that has nothing to do with your industry? Write down all your ideas in a list, then choose the best ones. Then, hire influencers to promote your ideas and the results will be far more effective than using standard marketing methods, which significantly burden your budget.

EDUARD SHALSI and His View on

Entrepreneurship in Albania

BY RUDINA HOXHA

Eduard Shalsi, Albanian Minister of State for the Protection of Entrepreneurship makes a panorama of the startup scene in Albania describing it full of momentum.

In an exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE , Minister Shalsi unveils the recommendations his institution is following to foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Albania while mentions some local conspicuous startups to be taken as models.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

1. Minister Shalsi, thank you for accepting our request for this interview. Let’s start from what comes naturally: How would you define the level of startup ecosystem progress in Albania?

Can you provide some figures about the startups in Albania and their progress?

The start-up ecosystem in Albania has been developed significantly especially in recent years. Albanian startup scene has a lot of momentum. Most of the stakeholders work closely together and know each other personally. There seems to be a common understanding that although the numbers of the stakeholders in the ecosystem are increasing, their individual resources are limited, therefore we see more pooling together of

resources in order to organise local and regional level events.

The advantages of opening a startup in Tirana are considered high as the capital is one of the most important and attractive cities in Albania for starting a startup. Among the main advantages, it includes simple procedures for starting a startup, a skilled workforce especially in the IT sector, which makes Tirana a good choice for young entrepreneurs.

2. In your view, how do the Albanian startups perform? What is missing for them to grow and move forward faster?

The local entrepreneurial community has been developing rapidly and the ecosystem is now supported by a

growing number of events, accelerators, co-working spaces, and incubators.

The main challenges stand in: -The lack of a legal framework, a non-formalized ecosystem and also a great part is played in the dynamics of the growth, a self growing ecosystem which also needs an updated roadmap.

At the same time, other barriers for startup’s in Albania are largely similar to those of other Balkan states – lack of access to financial instruments for funding at all stages of the startup growth curve, sustainability of ecosystem stakeholders, vertical market knowledge and low R&D funding.

3. Can you mention some startups in Albania and abroad which can be taken as models to be followed?

We can see numerous promising tech companies such as Baboon (A food delivery marketplace that enables users to order online from local restaurants through its website or mobile application), Gjirafa (the fastest growing

Internet Services company in the Balkans and one of the most well-funded VC startups, from globally reputable investors), Softmogul (A complete suite of products to manage your hotel’s operations, deliver a better customer experience, increase revenues and explore new markets to grow), Publer (Schedule posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn), Akademi.al (The official education platform approved by Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth) VARG. io (Blockchain Development) etc, as well as marketplaces and platforms in various sectors.

4. How do you see the level of government interest in entrepreneurship and small business development over the last years? What recommendations is the Ministry following to foster the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Albania?

Government is also a key partner in this ecosystem. It is clear that the government and the ecosystem must join hands to activate the local

“We can see numerous promisingcompanies”tech

ecosystem and help it grow. In the beginning we just didn’t know exactly how to start it. But we started by figuring out what exactly the role of the government should be. However, our first priority was simply to start working with the industry— investors, incubators, accelerators, research institutes, startups, universities, tech companies—and initiate a dialogue amongst everyone, for which I admit that we have succeeded in creating an inclusive and thriving community. Removing barriers, Creating

Relationships and Strengthening startups are the main pillars where we have relied on the development, elaboration and writing of the new draft law on startups and the surrounding ecosystem. The government will provide funding and support to entrepreneurs at various stages of their journey and on various fronts, including mentoring, grant support, the journey to catalyze private capital, and support for incubators and facilitators. These give you value in a much wider range of Government support and programs.

5. Has Albania an Entrepreneurial

Nation strategy and what impact are you expecting over the next 4 or 5 years?

The closest strategy to a National Entrepreneurial Strategy would be the two strategies supporting innovation: the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2009- 2015, and the crosscutting strategy

“Digital Agenda for Albania 20152020”. The 2009 strategy focused on supporting centers of excellence, building communities of excellence in research and innovation that attract good scientific actors, increasing public R&D spending, diffusing innovation in 100 businesses and organizations, enabling integration with European counterparts, and officially recognized the importance of innovation in Albania.

While the 2015 strategy was developed with the vision of: “A society based on knowledge and information, through the consolidation of digital infrastructure in the whole territory of the Republic of Albania; improvement of the quality of online services and increase of

governance and transparency”.

The main aims were investment and policy measures to improve the ICT infrastructures, new digital services for citizens, and improvement of their livelihood. One key difference between this strategy and previous is the focus on ICT as an enabler for innovation by providing more efficient and transparent public services, notably in education, as a means of driving growth, a competitive economy and socio economic inclusion. These include a number of details related to innovation, ICTs and entrepreneurship.

6. What areas do you recommend for the new entrepreneurs to focus on in pro of the development of Albania?

Everybody is feeling the startup craze. The idea of a startup ecosystem is gaining momentum, catching the attention of politicians, the media, and curious passersby. It is gaining popularity among students.

Everyone knows that with a little help, a

“Everybody is feeling the startup craze”

startup has a better chance of growing faster. The journey to entrepreneurship will require us to use our strengths as well as to collaborate with those around us - recognizing that each side brings unique strengths and unique knowledge by enhancing each other. Startups can be small. But they create ripples in the economy that change people’s lifestyles by later evolving as engines of economic growth.

Startups are the driving force behind our economy - so we need to advocate

for the entrepreneurs behind them and continue to drive innovation.

The latter sector is growing rapidly and is attracting the attention of large multinational companies such as Lufthansa, PwC etc. We are seeing progress being made in the IT sector, the most basic one and Big data and IoT with a number of startups receiving funding and scaling regionally with others waiting in the pipeline.

7. Since tourism is today’s

buzzword, what incentives is the Ministry offering on the area of service training in order to make it sustainable?

Albanian tourism and agricultural sector received almost 200M in structural funding for the period 2019-2021, contributing to a positive environment for Albanian as well as regional startup’s/entrepreneurs to challenge existing companies in offering products in these industries.

Vast majority of startup’s coming out of Albania are IT related and generally offer solutions in a number of industries. Due to the nature and structure of Albania’s economy, most entrepreneurs are focusing on offering services for tourism, agriculture and ICT industries. Additionally effort is being placed in providing solutions or products for the manufacturing companies, financial institutions and software outsourcing due largely to the demand from private

companies.

8. What advice do you have for the new entrepreneurs and founders?

I would like to encourage all of you young entrepreneurs to DREAM and to DREAM BIG and to never give up and keep on trying and trying until you make it! We want to hear your voices, passions because we believe in your talents, creativity and we are here for you. We don’t have answers for all your questions and problems, but we believe that together we will find the best solutions by listening to each other, by collaborating with each other and by deciding together we will make Albania a better place for all you entrepreneurs and all Albanians.

“Vast majority of startup’s coming out of Albania are IT related and generally offer solutions in a number of industries”

EPO’S YOUNG INVENTORS PRIZE TO BOOST FUTURE TALENTS TO REACH UN’S SDGS 2030

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

Trailblazing Magazine

is privileged to have Luis Berenguer Giménez , Spokesperson of the European Patent Office (EPO) in its August edition talking of EPO’s latest initiative – the Young Inventors prize which boosts the next generation of inventors to contribute in the overcoming of some of society’s most pressing challenges.

“By connecting this prize to the renowned European Inventor Award, it offers great opportunities for those young people out there with a passion for innovation to raise their profiles and make their voices heard,” Berenguer told in this exclusive interview.

To be considered for the Young Inventors prize 2022, proposals must be made by 1 October 2021. So get nominating now! For the EPO Spokesperson, participating in the Young Inventors prize is an amazing opportunity for the youth all over the world. “By participating in the Young Inventors Prize, future innovators

have an opportunity not only to gain financial support for their initiatives, but also join the ranks of European Inventor Award finalists and winners, and even achieve significant recognition and visibility, which could make a huge difference in taking their ideas further and turning them into real-world solutions,” he said.

The EPO is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe and the largest regional patent office in the world. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO’s centralised patent granting procedure, inventors, companies and researchers are able to protect their inventions in up to 44 countries covering a market of some 700 million people. Each year the EPO holds the European Inventor Award to pay tribute to the work of outstanding inventors and demonstrate the incredible power of innovation. This year’s award was also covered in Trailblazing’s last

“Each year the EPO holds the European Inventor Award to pay tribute to the work of outstanding inventors”

edition.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

How did the EPO come up with the Young Inventors prize? In what ways is this prize different from other, similar awards for young inventors in the world?

The EPO created the Young Inventors prize to encourage the next generation of inventors and inspire bright young minds to find sustainable solutions and make a tangible contribution to overcoming some of society’s most pressing challenges. We are convinced that innovation is key to overcoming these challenges and we believe in the younger generations’ potential to help

tackle them.

Aimed at innovators aged 30 and under, the Young Inventors prize will recognise problem-solving initiatives across all fields of science and technology. And it will offer a cash prize of €20 000 to the winner and €10 000 and €5 000 to two additional finalists. By connecting this prize to the renowned European Inventor Award, it offers great opportunities for those young people out there with a passion for innovation to raise their

profiles and make their voices heard.

Start-ups are really taking things forward in Albania. Can Albanian young innovators and start-ups apply for this prize? What are the requirements?

They certainly can. From students to entrepreneurs, the Young Inventor prize is open to any individual or group worldwide, as long as that individual and each person in the group has a maximum age of 30 at the time of the award.

To make a proposal, you need to complete a nomination form, which you can find on our website.

You can propose any idea, project or product in any field of technology, as long as the idea aims at using a technical solution to solve a problem within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – e.g. help to ensure quality education or the availability of clean water and sanitation, to name just two examples.

It is important to note that each proposal

must also be accompanied by supporting information that is already in the public domain, such as a granted patent, a trademark or copyright, a published scientific paper, case study or a video, website, or sketches.

and under.”

Each proposal will be checked by an multi-disciplinary panel of EPO experts before a shortlist is sent to the independent jury of the European Inventor Award, who will select the three finalists, including one winner.

The winner will be revealed at the European Inventor Award ceremony in June 2022.

The EPO has published a video calling for nominations for the Young Inventors prize, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=UUOvigEVk-A&ab_ channel=EuropeanPatentOffice

Further information on the requirements and how to submit proposals can be found on our dedicated webpage; epo.org/young-inventors

“The Young Inventor Prize is open to innovators worldwide aged 30

The Young Inventors prize will be awarded for the first time next year. What guidance and advice would you like to give to future applicants?

We encourage all young inventors who fulfil the requirements to participate. They can nominate themselves, their team or others.

When doing so, we advise anyone interested in applying to look at the evaluation criteria. As I already mentioned, supporting information must be submitted with the nominated initiatives. And while any kind of supporting information can be submitted, some documents will be prioritized over others when it comes to assessing

the entries. In practice this means that a granted patent or trademark, for instance, will be weighted above a published scientific paper or a video or blog.

And it is also really important to remember the deadline: To be considered for the Young Inventors prize 2022, proposals must be made by 1 October 2021. So get nominating now!

In what ways will the EPO Young Inventors prize fuel the innovation spark among the youth?

By participating in the Young Inventors prize, future innovators have an opportunity not only to gain financial

support for their initiatives, but also join the ranks of European Inventor Award finalists and winners, and even achieve significant recognition and visibility, which could make a huge difference in taking their ideas further and turning them into real-world solutions.

After all, the European Inventor Award is already well established and very

prestigious. It honours inventors from around the world, many of whom are also very successful academics and businesspeople in their own right, for example Robert Langer who won the European Inventor Award in the Industry category in 2016 and who today leads the world’s largest biomedical engineering lab with over US$ 10 million in annual grants and over 100 researchers at the MIT Department of Chemical Engineering. Moreover, four of our past winners have even gone on to become Nobel laureates! The most recent example being Japanese chemist Akira Yoshino, who won the Nobel Prize in 2019. He is the father of the lithium-ion battery and his inventions power nearly five billion smartphones, as well as drive electric vehicles and countless other devices. So his invention really is everywhere.

Long term, I think the Young Inventors prize has the potential to become a real spring board.

What should be done to create more awareness around this important prize? Can Trailblazing Magazine help?

Any help is very welcome. Let your friends, family and colleagues know about the Young Inventors prize, spread the word! Also, nominate yourself, nominate others! The success of the Young Inventors prize depends on our capacity to identify the greatest sustainability initiatives currently being developed by the young minds out there, and we need your help to achieve that.

Share our hashtags #InventorAward and #YoungInventors on all social media channels. The EPO has accounts on various channels and you can follow us and share our posts.

The EPO has carried out many studies on innovation. Are they shedding light on where innovations come from? How do start-ups succeed?

The EPO closely monitors the innovation sector and our studies reveal that a

wide variety of businesses both large and small are responsible for the innovation we see today. In fact, startups and SMEs play quite a substantial role, too. Last year, for example, around 20% of applications filed at the EPO by European applicants came from SMEs and individuals. We also know that there are various factor driving the success of start-ups. Intellectual property (IP) in general and patents in particular are instrumental in this respect. They are not just essential to protect new technologies but also to build collaborations that can, for instance, help start-ups and SMEs to compensate for their comparatively small size and limited resources when it comes to manufacturing or entering new markets and to attract investors.

I think it is important for start-ups to know that our research has shown that small firms that have applied for IP rights are more likely to grow, and even to

experience a fast growth period. We also know that SMEs that own intellectual property rights (IPRs) have 68% higher revenue per employee than those that do not own such rights at all. And SMEs that combine different IPRs enjoy even higher revenue per employee. Those small businesses that own both patents and trademarks generate 75% more earnings, while those that have registered designs and trademarks have an estimated revenue premium of 84%. SMEs that own a combination of patents, trademarks and registered designs generate almost double (98%) the revenue per employee compared with companies that do not own any of the three rights.

What this means is that the stronger your IPR portfolio is, the better your business performs. And IPR-owning businesses do not just generate more revenue, their employees earn more, too. These are important signals for our economy and society – as well as for young inventors out their embarking on their careers or thinking about developing their businesses.

start-ups in shaping a more sustainable future for all of us. With our new Young Inventors prize we want to showcase future talents and help them gain better funding and attracting more attention to their ideas and taking them further – and at the same time support the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Overall, the EPO recognizes the importance of young inventors and

Aimed at innovators aged 30 and under, the Young Inventors prize will recognise problem-solving initiatives across all fields of science and technology. And it will offer a cash prize of €20 000 to the winner and €10 000 and €5 000 to two additional finalists. The winner will be revealed at the European Inventor Award ceremony in June 2022.

Share our hashtags #InventorAward and #YoungInventors on all social media channels.

“You can propose any idea, project or product in any field of technology, as long as the idea aims at using a technical solution to solve a problem within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030,” Giménez said

BALFIN REAL ESTATE & HOSPITALITY:

Our Property Listings Satisfy all Categories

TO US, OUR CLIENT, IS A PARTNER FOREVER AND WE ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF OUR PARTNERS.

Ermal DEMAJ, Director of Sales at Balfin Real Estate & Hospitality (www.balfinrealestate.al) talks with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE on the widening of the Balfin’s property listings, mostly by opening up their portfolio to more middle-income families.

“Today, throughout our property listings, one might find all levels of prices and property categories so that no one visiting us, leaves unsatisfied,” Demaj said in this exclusive interview. Underlining the great care the Balfin Real Estate & Hospitality shows towards the client, Demaj says that they make their best to understand the clients’ needs and plans while after they craft the best offer that suits them.

Considering Green Coast Resort & Residences a huge success and a great investment with quick return, Demaj reveals that a Green Coast Resort & Residences 2 is about to come, not to mention some other amazing projects in the pipeline.

Balfin Real Estate and Hospitality is part of Balfin Group which has been operating in the real estate market

for 15 years. Operating for two years as a well-structured company, it offers for sales premium real estate properties for both Albanians and international buyers. With a portfolio of 250 million € and a considerable client database, it offers the highest standard in professionalism not limited to the selling process, but also in the management, rental and real estate projects.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Mr. Demaj, the Covid pandemic has turned our lives around and has presented new challenges for large industries and businesses. When it comes to the real estate market in Albania, what have been the challenges for the past year?

What you are stating is true. The Albanian businesses and the real estate sector have suffered as well. When the world stops, all transactions stop and people tent to keep money as close to them as possible, as a mean for the idea of security. This is the first challenge.

Here at Balfin Real Estate and Hospitality we have overcome this in a large part, because of the level of trust that we have built over the years with our clients, old & new. To us, our client, is a partner

forever and we always take care of our partners. Second, we most profoundly, nurture hope in our everyday activity as a company. So, hope that Covid shall pass, hope that we will get back better and stronger, and hope that life will triumph. That’s why, our success, cannot be explained unless you think of trust and hope between us and our clients, and a

lot of hard work as a team. Thus, we may say it out loud that we have responded in time to changing market demands during the pandemic period.

How has your company managed to build such a large database of clients?

Yes, we do have a large database of clients. We have built it among other things, through a careful follow up in aftersales. As I said, we take care of

“ The Albanian businesses and the real estate sector have suffered as well”

our clients. First by understanding their needs and their plans, and second by crafting the best offer that suits them. Yet our database is not only large in numbers, but also in quality, for we have always introduced our clients to premium spaces. Although recently, we have decided to open up our portfolio to more middle-income families. Today, throughout our property listings, one might find all levels of prices and property categories so that no one visiting us, leaves unsatisfied. Of course, this has led to more people joining our team and more people visiting our offices and www.balfinrealestate.al to find what they need. Most importantly: we

offer customized products to our clients, such as support in financing options and opportunities, property management on behalf of the owners and more.

Are Albanians particularly challenging clients compared to foreigners?

It is understandable to think of Albanians as people who are hard to please, yet it is understandable to me that Albanians are very peculiar clients. I have been in this business for long enough to understand that Albanians are not picky or spoiled clients, especially when it comes to buying a home. Albanians are people who have worked hard their

entire life, sometimes the whole family, towards the goal of owning a home and it is totally fine for them to think of all details and consider all options before investing into a home of quality that probably will go down to be inherited by generations to come. As a team we are aware of this long-awaited moment for Albanian families and we are more than happy to be here for them. On the other hand, foreigners who are looking to purchase a property in Albania, are usually looking to make an investment, and we tend to be careful to arrange the best options for the business or endeavor that they have in mind.

What are the main projects you are working on currently?

Balfin Real Estate & Hospitality has built a name for itself, for some time now, through premium projects. The construction and real estate sector have progressed over the last years. With reference to the last decades, the quality-price ratio has been optimized. In this view, the quality of construction

materials has increased, high expertise in contemporary design and development has been acquired, and costs are retained at affordable levels to the Albanian market and consumer. Our most prominent project, for a couple of years now, has been the notorious Green Coast Resort & Residences. Almost sold out now. We are literally selling our last units, probably the last 5% of units left. Huge success, immensely happy clients. Great investment with quick return.

And future projects?

Collina Verde is a project under development, given special care and which will provide a comfortable lifestyle, with the greenery view of Lundra hills, the fresh air, and the scenic landscapes. This project consists of a small number of villas suitable for small and large families, or for individuals who adhere for a quiet life and more privacy on the outskirts of the capital.

Rolling Hills Lakeside is comprised of premium villas and apartments which planned to welcome new residents of a

“ The quality-price ratio has been optimized”

selected community by Farka Lake. The quality of life will increase twofold by means of the high standard of the design and development, as well as the natural environment that will embrace every resident. Relaxing views of the greenery and the lake, family tranquility, and the dynamism of a central piazza with commercial units, services, coffee shops and recreational spaces, all brought together. All of this, provided at an acceptable price as compared to what is offered.

Univers City has been conceived as a new city within the concrete jungle. Univers City is located next to the Qendra Tregtare Univers (QTU) and will consist of residential buildings suitable for everyone: young families, young couples, students or large families looking for bigger apartments with lower prices. This mini city will provide a comprehensive range of services, sufficient for an autonomous living within a community located very close to QTU, where the needs for food, clothing and entertainment can be adequately met.

Spaces and sports facilities for healthy living will also be provided. Greenery will surround every corner of the complex. A public school for children and absolute security and privacy have been foreseen as well. The most crucial element of the project is the lowest market price for the optimal quality that is offered. Anyone who wants to have an apartment in Tirana, will no longer have to pay an arm and a leg, as Univers City welcomes everyone and fulfils every need for every family’s journey.

Green Coast Village is an exceedingly ambitious project, aiming at building the first tourist village with international tourism standards. Green Coast Village will be in Palasa, at proximity to the previous Green Coast project. This majestic project will consist of residences, several 4 and 5-star hotels as well as apartment complexes. There will be an abundance of recreational spaces, services, and entertainment units, for vacations and leisure throughout the year.

As one of the most prestigious projects, it is carried out by “Emre Arolat

Architecture”, an international studio, with headquarters in New York, London, and Istanbul. This is the same studio that designed with splendid finesse the aforementioned project “Rolling Hills Lakeside”.

Green Coast Resort & Residences 2 will also be an expansion of the current project. In the wake of the success it represents, it has become now a unique destination and due to the quality of the project is generating higher demand for further development.

Ermal DEMAJ is specialized in all aspects of the real estate field, both to orient those who are looking for the best price property for the first time, as well as to offer assistance in the premium real estate market.

Contact: sales@balfinrealestate.al

https://balfinrealestate.al/ agent/ermal-demaj/

Our database is not only large in numbers, but also in quality, for we have always introduced our clients to premium spaces.

SARA IDHAJOUB: At Chenot Espace, Guests are Taught to Follow Up Their Wellness Journeys

BY RUDINA HOXHA

For Sara Idhajoub with an experience of 14 years in luxury spas, it was the shared vision of One&Only and Chenot that made her join One&Only Portonovi – this super luxurious property positioned at the entrance to Boka Bay in Herceg Novi.

Idhajoub, who is proud of working for Chenot for nine years, says that Chenot Espace is the first facility of its kind in the region where the guests can enjoy a holistic and personalized transformative journey of detoxing and resetting the body.

“Chenot Espace offers a transformative journey of detoxing and resetting the

body based on the renowned Chenot Method®, with tailored programs and pioneering treatments scientifically designed to enhance guests’ vitality and optimum health, all year round,” she told TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE.

According to her, at Chenot Espace, guests are helped to understand the wellness journey at lengthy so they can continue it even after they finish the programmes.

“At Chenot Espace, we help guests to understand what is ageing their bodies, and how to set new pathways to positively improve their performance and wellbeing. In this way, their wellness journey continues even when they leave

our premises,” Idhajoub said.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Ms. Idhajoub, thank you for accepting our request for an interview! You are the SPA Manager of a lush destination – Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi. How would you describe this ‘luxurious’ experience?

Thank you for inviting me, it is a pleasure!

One&Only and Chenot are two extraordinary brands with a shared vision. And that vision is something that pushed me to join this new ultra-luxury property.

Chenot Espace found its perfect home in the surroundings of One&Only Portonovi, offering a unique combination of Chenot’s revolutionary holistic wellness and One&Only’s ultra-luxury lifestyle. After 14 years of experience in luxury spas, out of which nine were at Chenot, I am very proud to be responsible for the opening, as well as the ongoing operation of this exquisite wellness facility – the first facility of its kind in the region and the first Chenot Espace with One&Only.

Can you present us Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi in a

nutshell? Some interesting facts about it? What makes it so superb?

Chenot Espace offers a transformative journey of detoxing and resetting the body based on the renowned Chenot Method®, with tailored programs and pioneering treatments scientifically designed to enhance guests’ vitality and optimum health, all year round.

Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi revolutionises the resort wellbeing experience, offering 360-degree wellness programmes for our guests looking to lead a more active, healthy and balanced life. Both Chenot and One&Only share a vision to create joy and vitality, tailoring every experience to each individual’s needs. Here, our guests have access to an exclusive, immersive and distinct experience that nurture optimum personal results and extend far beyond the spa. Interesting fact: Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi covers an expanse of 4,000 m2 and features 28 treatment rooms.

Can you present us some of the most innovative and holistic approaches of the treatments of Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi? Why do your customers go for them so much?

Optimal health is the true, new luxury, and wellness is increasingly becoming integrated into our guests’ lifestyles, both in their day-to-day lives and when they travel.

Chenot’s philosophy is holistic and personalised, treating the whole, not just the symptoms and delivering an equally sophisticated set of bespoke treatments and diet plans that work in synergy to support and stimulate the body to eliminate toxins, increase vitality, energy levels and rebalance the body’s physiology. Our guests can choose to take a fully immersive one-week programme, engage in shorter experiences that can be seamlessly woven into their overall holiday or select individual treatments. For example, the iconic and transformative one-week Advanced Detox programme induces a deep purification and detoxification of the

“One&Only and Chenot are two extraordinary brands with a shared vision”

body and is a signature pillar of Chenot’s pioneering philosophy. This tailored programme includes advanced diagnostic tests with Chenot Lifestyle Biomarkers®, medical and nutritional consultations, a plant-based nutritional plan and targeted energetic massage, bio-energetic, hydro-aromatherapy, phyto-mud and hydro-jet treatments.

Customers always look for what is NEXT. What is next for the customers of Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi?

At Chenot Espace, we help guests to understand what is ageing their bodies, and how to set new pathways to positively improve their performance and wellbeing. In this way, their wellness journey continues even when they leave our premises.

We encourage our guest to do the follow-up Fundamental Detox, a one-week programme which can be taken twice a year, or to follow a short 3-day Detox programme every 3 months in order to maintain the effect.

What are the main qualities that make a successful Spa manager?

Spas are very unique compared to other hotel or resort departments, as they create an emotional environment not only for guests but also for the colleagues.

Spas have the innate ability to positively transform a person after a one-hour

treatment, and Spa Manager needs to be intuitive when listening to both guests and colleagues. Happy colleagues will put special attention and look after their guests, which leads to the goal – happy guests. A successful Spa Manager must be goal oriented, too. At Chenot Espace, additionally, a successful Spa Manger must have a deep understanding of the method and the offering, to be able to tailor personalised programmes depending on each guest’s specifics, aims and goals.

In such unseen times of pandemic, what are the measures you have taken to satisfy and guarantee the clients?

At One&Only Portonovi, we welcome guests with a firm commitment that their health, safety, and wellbeing is our utmost priority. Besides complying with all Government’s measures and WHO’s recommendations, we have introduced a robust and comprehensive sanitation programme, tools enhancing our guest experience without social contact, and specific COVID 19 Training for all colleagues.

We encourage our guest to do the follow-up Fundamental Detox, a one-week programme which can be taken twice a year, or to follow a short 3-day Detox programme every 3 months in order to maintain the effect.

“Their wellness journey continues even when they leave our premises”

Chenot Espace at One&Only Portonovi covers an expanse of 4,000 m2 and features 28 treatment rooms.

Astrid Brings Swedish Sustainable Tourism to Albania

The first private Swedish investment in Albanian sustainable tourism has arrived. It is a young woman Astrid, who is the manager and investor. She has been working hard for two years and now Camp Nivica is open for guests.

The Swedish Ambassador to Albania, H.E. Elsa Håstad visited Camp Nivica and she was impressed by this project and wished Astrid the best of luck. The Ambassador also enjoyed the beauty and the dramatic canyon surrounding the area.

PHOTO CREDIT: EMBASSY OF SWEDEN TO TIRANA

The Swedish Ambassador to Albania, H.E. Elsa Håstad visited Camp Nivica.

JP TRAIBLAZING MAGAZINE

Lodging & Eco Tourism in “Ardeche Verte “or “Green Ardeche”, France

Relax you are in Ardeche ! Ardeche, be amazed! Escape for a few days or week or more to enjoy the amazing colors of Autumn in Ardeche!

Let yourself be surprised by the splendor of the colors of the season. Prepare to take in the sights and enjoy the fresh air.

Ardeche Verte, one of 5 major Ardeche areas to discover absolutely, no one claim to know Ardeche completely if they haven’t gone for a week, at least around the Ardeche Verte, which has many in stores for you!

The Ardeche Verte, also called “Haut Vivarais “is a pure treasure for nature lovers, history buffs, curious people and nesters of exceptional moments

Ardeche Verte, is a whole, and everything is there:

Green country side, woods and forest, lakes and rivers, valleys and mountains with gentle relief some time exceeding 1300 meters in altitude.

Staying in Ardeche Verte, in our lodging “Les Airelles at Burzet village, means offering yourself an authentic holidays where only boredom does not exist!!

Located in the heart of the Park Natural Regional of the Monts d’Ardeche which benefits of an exceptional natural environment, you will thus discover: Country region, where charming hamlets merge into the relief where the forest predominates this wild and preserved environment, exceptional panoramas in villages located in the heart of vineyards and bounded to the east by the Rhone Valley.

A dynamic and lively setting in the heart of his largest agglomerations, Aubenas, Annonay, Tournon which complete the Ardeche Verte with their exceptional living environment, their numerous cultural and dynamic activities.

A note on myself: I have a rich international experience as an hotelier; an Executive Chef for more than 30 years for some of the major International Hotels groups, and since we came back home, due to COVID, at least a positive approach on it, I settled here with my little family and developed and keep developing one of my passion – that of welcoming hospitality!

We have opened our first lodging here in Burlet, in a renovated typical stone house dating from the 17th century offering todays comfort.

Due to its immediate success over the summer, we are in process of planning to offer and open another one by spring time 2022, still in the same village labeled “Station Verte” for its quality of life and in a such preserved environment.

Being a Chef de Cuisine for so many years, my pursuing and continuing quests of genuine local products is part of my daily activities. Here, in Ardeche Verte, the terroir is vast and varied; many artisans and little

producers ..Chef’s heaven !

We also have developed our BioGarden, a passion, a garden in a complete harmony with nature, seasons, permaculture, in a true and pure organic ways.

We have also raised hens for fresh eggs, and continue leaving the dream…

Nothing is better gratifying then walking through the garden to see what’s today’s offerings and then cooking!

Simple food, away from the fuzz .. local and seasonal!

Here are two samplings …

A local main healthy dish called “ Bombine,” which originally was for the poor and the farmers with only few ingredients, which became one of the signature of the region and the dessert “oeufs au lait” .. or eggs with milk.

Fresh, seasonal and local genuine ingredients will guarantee you a day to remember without a single doubt!

Last, but not least, we are open all year round and whatever season will suit you, to us, the Autumn period is true pleasure

and enjoyment!

The fall with walking on chestnuts leaves “rivers” …. Come over, discover and enjoy the charm and the uniqueness!

Below the link of our “Gite Les Airelles”, which is labeled with “Gites de France Ardeche,” a guaranty of quality, along with the latest guests’ reviews.

https://www.gites-de-france-ardeche. com/location-Gite-Burzet-07G45705. htm l

Bienvenue aux Airelles , and looking forward to welcome personally!

Didier Gusching

In BRIEF

DENMARK IS OPENING A NEW SCHOOL WITH CLASSROOMS WITHOUT DESKS

Denmark hopes to innovate its educational system by opening up a new kind of school in Varde, focusing on curiosity and creativity. Frello School, named after local Danish artist Otto Frello, will soon be home to 900 young pupils and has a particularity: the school was designed with neither classrooms nor desks.

Read the full story here: https://www-euronews-com. cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.euronews.com/next/ amp/2021/08/13/denmark-to-open-up-school-without-desks-to-encouragecreativity?usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D&amp_js_

v=a6&amp_gsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&csi=0&amp share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euronews.com%2Fnext%2F2021%2F08%2F13

%2Fdenmark-to-open-up-school-without-desks-to-encourage-creativity

PLUS 4 BUILT TO GO EVERYWHERE

On August 5, 2021, Morgan unveiled a new off-road-ready special edition of its Plus 4 sports car called the CX-T. The small British carmaker says it worked with Rally Raid UK to ensure the normal Plus 4 would be able to stand up to the rigors of high-speed off-roading.

Read the full story here: https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a37231273/2022-morgan-plus-fourcx-t/ Courtesy of RoadandTrack.com

Courtesy of Euronews

THE VALUE OF FACE-TO-FACE BUSINESS

Research from Accor, the leading global hospitality group, reveals workers expect to make a quarter (25%) more in revenue when able to communicate with clients face-to-face again.

Read the full story here: https://press.accor.com/continental-europe/the-value-of-face-to-facebusiness/?lang=en

Courtesy of Accor

DUBAI’S BEST RESTAURANTS WITH EPIC GOLF COURSE VIEWS

Even if you’re not a keen golfer, there’s no reason not to visit one of the many Dubai restaurants with epic golf course views. There are plenty of venues, from fine-dining to pub-style, for you to spend a relaxing afternoon at.

Here are Dubai’s best restaurants with epic golf course views… https://whatson.ae/2021/08/dubais-best-restaurants-with-epic-golf-courseviews/

BE TRANSPORTED TO THE SUNNY CLIMES OF PORTUGAL AT TASCA DUBAI

If you’re heading out for lunch, dinner or a luxe pool day, be sure to visit Tasca by José Avillez at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, Dubai.

This beautiful restaurant has earned itself a legion of fans for its Portuguese dishes and stunning rooftop setting. The restaurant itself overlooks a beautiful infinity pool and out across the sea and iconic Dubai skyline. A meal here will have you feeling like you’re dining at a chic beach club in the Mediterranean somewhere.

Read the full article here: https://whatson.ae/2021/08/step-into-the-mediterranean-at-this-chic-pooland-restaurant-setting-tasca/

Courtesy of whatson.ae

ROGNER EXPERIENCE –a Feeling Customers Look for

RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

On its August issue, TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE brought together Mr. Robert Rogner, Founder & Owner of Rogner Hotel Tirana and Mrs. Eva Xhepa, General Manager of Rogner Hotel Tirana to talk of the icon hotel of Tirana, the challenges and the plans ahead.

KR Robert ROGNER – Founder & Owner of Rogner Hotel Tirana

Since Rogner Hotel Tirana is in a primary location while still encompasses several non-built areas, have you any plans to add another concept or a brand to the actual?

The selection of the location in the center of today’s big city of Tirana was

a major decision factor for my investment at that time.

My condition for selecting the site for the hotel was “I may choose the site myself as the first investor for a western hotel. The decision was not difficult for me. The government agreed and was relieved to have finally found someone who had the courage to find an investor in these very difficult times for Albania. At the same

time, I was also told that I had to do everything on my own, because - we have no money - we have no material - we have little trained personnel and - we have only the land!

On this property 30 years ago the atomic bomb-safe bunker for the dictator Enver Hoxha was already finished in the shell, beside it on the free surfaces in best city situation sheep have grazed. There in a park landscape created by us in the middle of a pulsating large city our hotel is as oasis of the peace and recovery for our guests. This is our most

valuable asset, which we want to maintain in the future.

Competition is getting ferocious around your Hotel with international brands coming to the town soon. What are the plans when it comes to the innovation systems and technology concepts?

Sustainability, ecology and lived genuine service to our guests is at the heart of our daily work. Of course, a company must keep up with the times and accordingly we have expanded the hotel complex in 2016/17 and built a state-of-the-art conference center.

In the course of the expansion, it was particularly important to us to equip the conference area with the latest communication technology. As a starting project into a new age of energy supply, we have built a photovoltaic system in 2020 with the goal of a holistic energy concept.

What are the takings from the 30

years of investments in Rogner Hotel Tirana?

The project in Albania / Tirana developed into one of the greatest challenges of my

this sense, I would like to call Rogner Hotel Tirana my favorite child and my second home. Shumë faleminderit!

Hotel

Rogner Hotel Tirana continues to be the center of hospitality attention in Tirana. What were the latest challenges you faced during the pandemic to maintain the Hotel fully opened?

entrepreneurial activity. The completely non-existent infrastructure and materials of any kind were probably the biggest challenge at the beginning. One must not forget that at that time there were no paved roads or construction vehicles available. In addition, even at that time we wanted to provide perfect service to our guests and therefore had to make intensive efforts in the area of training and education.

Today I can consider myself lucky to have a great team of mainly local employees at my side as the soul of our service. In

The well-known hotel brand “Rogner” came to Albania in 1995, as the first foreign investment in the hotel industry to bring a new international standard, as an immediate need of that time for an accommodation structure of high standards, to welcome the international elite.

Today, Rogner Hotel continues to be the meeting place of the economical, diplomatic and cultural elite, thanks to the high standard in service, strategic location, success history in these 26 years and a team of professionals.

In the past year we have faced the

“ This is our most valuable asset, which we want to maintain in the future.”

Mrs. Eva XHEPA – General Manager of Rogner

Tirana

most difficult economic situation we have ever encountered, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The impacts that the economy had on a global level are well known, but the hotel and tourism industry suffered even more from the consequences of isolation.

Rogner Hotel did not close its doors for a single day, but became the home of some of our customers, who chose it for security reasons to spend this difficult period under the care of our service.

During this period a series of security measures were taken in accordance with

the strict protocol against Covid-19.

To face this situation from the business point of view, we had to be flexible and creative in providing services that helped our clients in their businesses.

We adapted the hotel rooms as offices for daily rental use. We were the first hotel in Albania to invest in new technologies for organizing Hybrid events. Thanks to the large capacities in rooms, conference rooms, outside spaces we were able to offer our customers effective solutions by respecting safety protocols. Also, we created in our website a dedicated page with detailed information about the measures taken against Covid, the new hotel services adapted for this difficult period so we never lose the contact with our customers.

How are you marketing and selling Rogner Hotel Tirana nowadays since you have a mix of new built area and an old one. How conflictual

is this from the marketing perspective?

In 2016, the hotel expanded its capacity with 40 new rooms bringing it to a total of 178 rooms and suites and a new conference center “Antigonea”, with a capacity of up to 400 people. The new rooms were built following the same style of the existing ones. Rooms with the most optimal conditions to create the comfort of home, a minimalist Austrian style with natural wood.

So there is not a difference between new and existing rooms as the hotel makes renovations from time to time, to always be in the standard that the brand Rogner represents.

The best marketing for the hotel is

done by the feedback of the clients themselves in the most influential portals of this industry such as booking.com, TripAdvisor etc.

Scrolling over the guests’ comments during all these years the ROGNER EXPERIENCE is the feeling that they mostly appreciate.

What is the key to the F&B success at Rogner Hotel Tirana?

The F&B department is one of the largest departments of Rogner Hotel, of a great importance. A passionate and professional team, some of them hired since at the opening of this Hotel, is our greatest asset ever.

They create delicious International and Albanian menus including the latest culinary trends and are able to handle gala events such as weddings, conferences and gala dinner providing the highest standard in cooking and serving.

Thanks to the work of all the team, Rogner Hotel is a success name associated with the high standard and superior service.

“ We were able to offer our customers effective solutions by respecting safety protocols”

A Tourism Innovation Lab for Albania

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

Iris Tela, representative of Albanian Ministry of Finance and Economy (project Lead Partner) for the NEST – Networking for Smart Tourism Development, a key project, co-financed by the European Union under the instrument for PreAccession Assistance (IPA II), sits with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE upon its termination.

The project was a coordinated efforts partnership between Albania, Italy and Montenegro.

“The NEST project involved the concerted efforts of 6 partners, in 3 countries, with a total budget of EUR 702,5 K and a duration of 35 months,” Tela told TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE. These discussions, she said, led to helpful proposals related to smart destination management in Albania, some of which were presented by the Albanian tourism stakeholders during Virtual Meetings with their counterparties from Italy and Montenegro.

According to her, the joint partnership evolved into a catalogue of 66 proposals from the three countries.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Q: Would you provide for our reader a general overview of the project you managed for the development of smart tourism?

A: The “NEST – Networking for Smart Tourism Development” project was co-financed by the European Union under the instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II). This project was developed under the Interreg IPA CBC Italy – Albania – Montenegro Programme 2014/2020 and the Priority Axis of Tourism and Culture, with a specific objective to boost attractiveness of natural and cultural assets to improve a smart and sustainable economic development.

The NEST project involved the concerted efforts of 6 partners, in 3 countries, with a total budget of EUR 702,5 K and a duration of 35 months. The partnership composed of:

LP - Ministry of Finance and Economy (Albania)

Ministry of Economic Development (Montenegro)

EURelations European Economic Interest

Grouping (Italy)

Tecnopolis Science and Technology Park

Scarl (Italy)

Independent Forum for the Albanian Woman (Albania)

University of Salento (Italy)

The NEST partnership coordinated their work through Steering Committee and monthly online meetings to successfully deliver the main outputs of the project:

1. Action Plan for creation of smart tourism destination

2. Virtual joint experiential laboratory for smart tourism

3. Smart tourism entrepreneurial development roadmap

4. Smart Destination Management pilot paths along with its three main objectives:

• Promote tourism development in a sustainable way by developing synergies among tourism structures and stakeholders, public and private, at local level and cross-border level;

• Develop the necessary skills and competencies to respond to new tourism demand and to provide Small Medium Tourism Enterprises (SMTEs) with tools and approaches to market and promote their products and services in global markets;

• Promote stakeholder collaboration in order to facilitate creation, sharing and transfer of knowledge.

Among other partnership activities, in Albania, the Capacity Building activity on smart destination management, included very stimulating online talks and discussions held online, during the month of December 2020 for 40 hours, with 18 tourism stakeholders representing tourism SMTEs, NGOs and associations. These discussions led to helpful proposals related to smart destination management in Albania, some of which were presented by the Albanian tourism stakeholders during Virtual Meetings

with their counterparties from Italy and Montenegro, such as:

• Proposal for building a dynamic platform / app to connect local businesses with potential visitors for a better management of the National Park of Divjaka by Albanian Eagle Tours.

• Proposal for creating professional Touristic Guides through online platforms Albania Guides & Tours app by Pegasos Travel.

• Proposal for the creation of an app for the virtual presentation of Durres, to be replicated all over the country by Dea Travel.

• Proposal for the creation of QR codes that can be read by the smart phones for a highly effective management of tourist inflows at the Butrint National Park by Ms Alma Harizi (tourist guide at Butrint National Park).

• Proposal for the implementation of telemedicine for the touristic sector and the national heritage, based on successful examples of Southern Spain and France by Ms Edlira Xhemo.

• Other proposals for creating apps promoting touristic attractions of a certain area by Mr Ardit Kodra, or with

virtual tours of tourist destinations in the country by Smart Tour Albania, etc. The participants of this activity also spotted out the local context improvement needs, such as:

• Greater efforts for the unification of the 4 tourism associations, toward a stronger voice of the tourism sector.

• Ensuring and monitoring regulations on the sector through:

a) Licensing and / or permitting of the licensed activity regarding the tour operators;

b) Separation of public transport and

tourism transport

c) The application of the existing law that a non-licensed guide by the Ministry of Tourism should not perform on the Albanian Territory through permanent control.

• Higher economic stimulus, due to the Covid-19 crisis, for the sector, considering its weight in the national GDP

• Increased attention to the maintenance and improvement of the infrastructural quality of the tourist destinations, etc.

This activity also became instrumental in a receiving high level of response to our Call for Proposals for cross border thematic itineraries, most of which came

from the participants of this activity. The proposals would shape the last product of the project, consisting of:

2 new thematic cross-border itineraries as per 2 thematic contexts:

• Wetlands & biodiversities

• Cultural Heritage & Gastronomy/Wine tourism

Tailored to the tourist profile

• Youth

• Silver tourism

The coordinated efforts of the partnership evolved into a catalogue of 66 proposals from the three countries, including the contacts of the proposing stakeholders, therefore shedding the spotlight on them. Here’s the link to the catalogue:

https://nest.italy-albaniamontenegro.eu/the-nest-catalog-ofsmart-tourism-destinations-is-out

Q: How can you describe the Virtual joint experiential laboratory for smart tourism

A: Lab experimentation, launch of pilot cases and initiatives of sensitization in the area were the kind of activities

the project partners both locally and transnationally conducted with the purpose of establishing or improving the existing innovation labs for smart tourism development. Since no such lab exist in Albania, during the sensitization events with the public and private sector, the project Lead Partner (Ministry of Finance and Economy) discussed with the local stakeholders and got ideas for the possibilities of establishment of a Tourism Innovation Lab to suit the Albanian context. One can create a better idea on the events, webinars, interviews and other detailed info by

visiting:

https://youtu.be/ee6Iu6SEzM8

https://nest.italy-albaniamontenegro.eu/

https://www.facebook.com/

InterregNEST

https://keep.eu/projects/22549/

Networking-for-Smart- Touris-EN/

Q: What are the results achieved by your project so far?

A: The results achieved by the project include, but are not limited to:

• Increased skills and competences

of tourism actors in promoting sustainable and smart models

• More engagement of local actors, including the society via participatory approaches

• Sustainable valorization of less known touristic destinations

• Increased attractiveness of the cooperation area

• Two cross-border itineraries according to the specific thematic of a) Cultural heritage and enogastronomy, and b) nature and sports (wetlands and biodiversities).

• A complete and participated model for a Tourism Innovation Hub.

Q: What is the added value of your project?

A: We believe the NEST project contributes to achieve common European objectives, promoting and transferring good practices, a better governance and international networks, while ensuring that the small private operators in the tourism sector feel truly protagonists of an innovation process. The project managed to build concrete proposals for smart tourism that can be implemented starting tomorrow. Moreover, our communication activities focused on the

environment as an asset to be valorized and protected from ruthless exploitation driven by short-term interests. Changing behavior and developing a consolidated culture of hospitality has positively impacted a shared vision of the future and assured the development of a joint and integrated tourism strategy.

The NEST project involves the concerted efforts of 6 partners, in 3 countries, with a total budget of EUR 702,5 K and a duration of 35 months. The partnership is composed of:

LP - Ministry of Finance and Economy (Albania)

Ministry of Economic Development (Montenegro)

EURelations European Economic Interest Grouping (Italy)

Tecnopolis Science and Technology Park Scarl (Italy)

Independent Forum for the Albanian Woman (Albania)\

University of Salento (Italy)

Customers are increasingly demanding sustainable travel and mobility offers. At the same time, companies are also looking for ways to achieve their sustainability goals. The Lufthansa Innovation Hub now addresses this growing demand with a new solution.

which helps companies accelerate their development of sustainable products,” says Christine Wang, Managing Director Lufthansa Innovation Hub. “With Squake, we are able to make our offsetting expertise accessible beyond aviation. It is only possible to achieve sustainability in the long term if we work together, which is why we rely on cooperation within the market and between the participating companies. Our vision for Squake is that it will provide a ‘green-tech backbone’ for travel and mobility.”

SQUAKE –

the industry solution for sustainable travel and mobility offers

• The new IT solution enables companies to integrate sustainable offers for customers into their product portfolio

• The platform supports achieving CO2 reduction targets and accelerating the transition to sustainable mobility

With Squake, the Lufthansa Group’s central digitalization unit launches a CO2 compensation platform aimed at companies from the entire travel, mobility, and transport industry. By using an application programming interface (API) companies can now easily calculate and offset the CO2 emissions of the services they offer. The new solution permits them to develop individual sustainable products that are optimally tailored to the needs of their customers.

“The travel and mobility market is urgently looking for effective solutions to increase sustainability. Our answer to this is the climate tech startup Squake,

Here’s how Squake works

When customers of an online travel agency (OTA) book a trip using different modes of transport, e.g. rental car, flight, ferry, bus, the platform automatically calculates the CO2 emissions of the entire trip. Customers can then offset the calculated emissions during the booking process.

Companies can simply integrate the Squake interface into their own online portals. This means they can immediately offer “green rates” or make their entire offering CO2-neutral. The first European startups from the travel management, shared mobility, and logistics sectors are

already successfully using the service.

“Profitability and sustainability have to work together,” says Dan Kreibich, project lead of Squake. “We help companies come up with sustainable offerings in the shortest possible time that are precisely tailored to their target groups. We’re convinced that sustainable products contribute to sales growth.”

Broad portfolio of certified climate protection projects for CO2 compensation

Companies can choose from a broad portfolio of high-quality climate protection projects to compensate the CO2 emissions of their travel and mobility offers. These projects

are certified to the highest industry standards, such as the Gold Standard or the Plan Vivo Standard, and have undergone a corresponding auditing process. The portfolio includes energy or solar projects as well as innovative technologies that extract CO2 directly from the atmosphere (“direct air capture”) and the use of sustainable fuels. Project partners include renowned climate protection organizations such as my climate as well as innovative technology partners such as Climeworks or GoodShipping. In the future, Squake

would like to focus in particular on innovative technologies and continuously expand its services to its partners.

Companies can opt for those projects that fit their own sustainability goals and corporate philosophy. Further information on Squake and an overview of all the project partners can be found at https://www.squake.earth/

Source: Lufthansa Group

TIMI OF SWEDEN Spreading Love in Albania

Ejona Abazaj is the lady who has brought the Swedish jewelry brand – Timi of Sweden – to Albania. This accessories’ brand is inspired by everyday things while it aspires to make people happy and joyful. As this brand is for everyone to enjoy and have fun, Abazaj chose exactly this one.

“Since the very first contact with Tifanny, the creator of Timi, we perceived the kindness and the positiveness they bestow on the others not only through their products but also with their way of communication and their wish to cooperate with one aim only:

“To Spread Love,” says Abazaj in an exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE.

She also underlines the fact that all the products of Timi of Sweden are worked in an artisanal way and they are antiallergic. But above all, Abazaj says that this brand is great for all the groups, from the little girls, to the teens, ladies and women.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Can you talk me through your journey to bring Timi of Sweden in Albania?

Why did you choose this brand? For some times, we were looking for a minimalistic accessories brand to bestow happiness on the people. Timi of Sweden Albania was perceived during a difficult time for the whole world – the pandemic. Therefore, we were forced to make every communication and the necessary contract with the Swedish brand through the technology. Since the

very first contact with Tifanny, the creator of Timi, we perceived the kindness and the positiveness they bestow on the others not only through their products but also with their way of communication and their wish to cooperate with one aim only: “To Spread Love.”

In your view, what makes the Timi of Sweden products so particular?

Can you describe them through the collections? Can you mention some special collections?

What distinguishes Timi from the other jewelries’ brands is primarily the artisanal production of every product. The materials used for the jewelries are anti-allergic and wholly ecological for

the paper made products. Some of the collections I can mention are: Make a wish, Feel Good, Chunky Collection, Personalized, Summer Collection, Keychains and many others.

What sets Timi of Sweden apart from other jewelry brands?

The minimalistic style in synchrony with the contemporary trends makes the difference between Timi of Sweden and other brands of the same kind. Our other strong point is even the proportion between quality and price.

How can you describe the clients who will wear the Timi of Sweden jewelry?

The target group of our clients, who can use our products, is very broad starting from the little girls, to the teens, ladies and women. The range of products is so large that everyone can find herself or make great gifts at Timi of Sweden Albania.

What is your relationship with jewelry?

Oh, I am in love with the jewelries. Even before I started this business, jewelries were my favorite and now that they are “my work”, I love them even more. When the passion is intertwined with the work, I think the results are extraordinary.

Meet Intermedico Japan Co., Ltd., the Company

of Innovative

Healthcare/Cosmetic Products

Micky Haxhiislami , a Kosovar professional, based in Tokyo, is the founder of Intermedico Japan Co., Ltd., exclusively specialised in healthcare and cosmetic products. During his first visit to Japan by the end of the 90s, he was impressed by the variety of healthcare and cosmetic products that could be found on the Japanese drugstores. His initial urge was to expose them to the international markets. In them, he saw their outstanding medical benefits. “This was one of the main reasons why I’ve decided to take a “giant step” and move from London, UK, where I was specialised in property management for over a decade (19922002), to Tokyo, Japan, as the main

global centre of this new technology,” Haxhiislami told TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE.

Haxhiislami, married with a Japanese lady, named Kasumi in 1996 whom he met in London. She was the main reason why he left the good life in UK to be based in Tokyo. The couple has a 23-year old son – Len.

In this exclusive interview, he explains in details the business and marketing strategies of the company while looks at the main products profoundly.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Please can you make a presentation of your business and what is the story behind it?

Intermedico Japan Co., Ltd., is a private limited company, established

Micky Haxhiislami with his wife, Kasumi and son, Len.

in Tokyo on February 21, 2003, and is exclusively specialised in healthcare and cosmetic products. The main goal of our company, is to offer in international market healthcare and cosmetic products that protect and inhance the quality of life, and have been already proven succseful in Japanese market over the years. Since my first visit to Japan end of 1990s, I was extremely suprised with variety of healthcare products available in drugstores that were totally uknown to international market. The products in question, such as disposable heat patches and dispsoable cooling

patches, were mainly sold for body warming, respectively cooling benefits, however I saw a far greater potential on them since their medical benefits were outstanding, and that’s where I wanted my future business to focus on. This was one of the main reasons why I’ve decided to take a “giant step” and move from London, UK, where I was specialised in property management for over a decade (1992-2002), to Tokyo, Japan, as the main global centre of this new technology, though took a big risk, since my life in London was quite good. However I must point out that reason

No.1 for this move was my FAMILY. My wife Kasumi, who I met in London in 1996, is Japanese, and together we have a lovely boy called Len, now almost 23 years old.

As founder of Intermedico Japan Co., Ltd, what are your plans to reach markets outside Japan, namely Albania and the Balkans? What are the challenges?

Intermedico Japan is succesfully selling it’s products under its private brands or as private labels of several well known medical companies in the world, since

2004. As it stands we are present either with our private brands or through private labels of these major medical companies, in over 40 countries around the world, mainly in South East Asia, Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. However, for various reasons in Europe unfortunately we are a little behind, that’s why in 2019 we’ve decided to establish a new company in Prishtina, Kosovo, and from there cover not just Albanian populated territories, and the region, but the whole European continent as well, by offering small quantities to any interested parties/ distributors, in order for them to test their markets without having to invest a large amount of money, and this way reduce completely their financial risks. I would like to note that in Asia and Middle East, we only deal with large quantities, i.e. 10,000+ boxes per product/ brand, since for example in Asia, almost every single country has the population of 100+/-

The main goal of our company, is to offer in international market healthcare and cosmetic products

million. However, this is not the case with Europe, where most of the countries are small, with exception of Germany, UK, France, Italy & Spain. For this very reason we decided to establish a company and a small warehouse in Prishtina, so we can give a chance our clients and end users to benefit from our products based on transdermal and topical delivery systems (TDS) technology, i.e. penetrating beneficiary ingredients via skin, and avoid the usage of any tablets in oral way when not neccessary. This way you protect the digestive organs and eliminate all side effects.

As for challenges in Balkans, there are few, however for us, as for many other businesses as well, the biggest challenge since the establishment of Intermedico Japan Europe LLC in Prishtina end of 2019, was THE PANDEMIC, and still remains a huge obstacle, since unfortunately we cannot move around to introduce/demonstrate our great products to any interested parties. Hopefully pandemic will be over this year, so from next year we can go back to some kind of better normality. Right now we offer three products (photo on page 105) under our private brands to any country in Europe and beyond, via

our online store www.intermedicojpeu.com however even in this regard we are facing serious challenges, either very high delivery costs by the courier companies, or slow-speed delivery (soemtimes up to 4 weeks) when we use normal postal services. To be fair, this slow speed most probably has to do with constantly changing regulations of each country during this pandemic time as well, however they do remain and most probably will not go away for some time.

Can we talk of your main products at lengthy? How innovative are they?

When we talk about the innovativeness of ur products, heat patches for example were originally developed by Japanese monks over 120 years ago, but commersialised only in 1972. However, still now almost half a century later, you cannot find them in many countries around the world, not even in the coldest places on earth, such as Nordic countries, Baltic countries, etc. Or even if you find them, for example in Switzerland or other central European countries, you can do so only in sport stores, which is really strange! Heat patches are meant to be available everywhere; drugstores, convenient stores, supermarkets, pharmacy shops, etc., so the end users can have easy acces and benfit out of them, whether that is for warming their hands, body, feet, or use them as heat therapy for muscular low back pain, muscular upper body pain, menstrual cramp pain, etc. Lets remember historically, heat has been a natural remedy used both to relieve pain and enhance the recovery process.

“You cannot find them in many countries around the world”

Well, how do heat patches work? They naturally generate heat by oxidizing iron. In the package is a mixture of iron, water, carbon and salt. When the wrapping is opened the iron is naturally exposed to oxygen, that oxidizes and produces heat. The salt accelerates this process. The vermiculite and carbon refine the delivery of the heat, generating even distribution and constant output. This simple reaction as I mentioned above as well, has been known and used in Japan since the beginning of the 20th century. It involves no electrical sources, batteries, burning, flames or toxic chemicals. The ingredients are completely natural, nontoxic, biodegradable and safe. For the technically minded the reaction is: 4Fe +

3O2 = 2Fe2O3 (rust). So how immovative is this, I really don’t know what to say, but I know for certain that Japanese are masters of developing convenient and effective products, that really protect and inhance the quality of life.

In regard to cooling patches, beginning of 1980s Mr. & Mrs. Morikane, both chemical engineers, also the founders of our partners factory in Nara perfecture in Japan, by the name Dia Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., started their research in creating a hydrogel structure that could contain various ingredients inside and release coolness for long hours. Their main intention was to help construction workers, because during 1970s and 1980s the construction business was booming in Japan, and the labourers due to very high temperatures were always soaking a towel in a cold water and wrap it around their head, in order to cool themselves down. However Mr. & Mrs. Morikane-san wanted to create a cooling product that

could last for many hours, because towels soaked in a cool water dry very quickly. So hydrogel polymer patch or better known as cooling patch was born, and it was commercialsed in 1984. Later, after thorough labortaory research, DiaPharmaceutical and other pharmaceutical companies in Japan realised about the medical benefits of cooling patches, such as reducing fever, soothing headache and migraine pain, etc., and their sales boomed in Japan. One may ask, how does a cooling patch work? Well, cooling patch contains a high percentage of water which works with the bodies natural cooling system helping to cool the body. As the temperature rises the heat of the skin causes the evaporation of water contained within a cooling patch which creates a cooling sensation on the surface of the skin. The heat of the skin causes the evaporation of water contained within the gel and as a result lowers temperature of the skin. The excellent heat transfer ability is made possible by the gels unique structure which disperses heat freely and maintains a constant and steady cooling effect that lasts up to 8 hours. So again, a very simple but extremely effective

product, thanks to open minded and creative Japanese inventors. However as in case with heating patches as well, cooling patches too are very little knwon nor availbale in many countries around the world, and it’s really a shame, because by using them we can avoid unnessecary usage of anti-inflammatory drugs, and this way protect our digestive organs and eleimnate completely the side effects, especially of our children, who intend to have often a fever or high temperature.

When it comes to cosmetics, by studying thoroughly the hydrogel structure and thanks to nano-technology, we managed to ad inside hydrogel polymer any kind of ingredient and control their gradual release as well. This made it possible for us in 2008, to expand our product line to cosmetics as well, and fortunately during last 10 years, hydrogel face masks and hydrogel under eye patches took the global market by storm, all thanks to their great benefits and absolutely no side effects, unlike BOTOX and alikes, whose long term consecuences are absolutely horryfing. What makes Intermedico Japan cosmetic “icegel” masks so special and unique?

“Thanks to open minded and creative Japanese inventors”

Well, it is their high-performance formulation that consists of Hyaluronic Acid, Collagen, Glycerine, and Gamma Polyglutamic Acid (we are the first company to introduce this ingredient deriving from Japanese fermented soybeans so called “natto”, extremely healthy to eat and with fanastic effect on the skin) that creates a protective barrier, allowing the ingredients to penetrate fast and deep inside the skin and help

to lock in moisture. Each treatment by icegel mask (whether in the whole face or under the eyes zone) delivers a surge of liquid revitalization, immersing skin with at least double the dose of hydration compare to other hydrogel face masks available in the market, or up to 5 times more, compare to ordinary face mask sheets. No other masks can be proud of this performance and no other masks can be worn from 1-8 hours, while providing a great long cooling and moisturizing effect.

P.S. Our best selling products under our private brands, are shown on on the photo on the left.

Creativity

in technology, in product planning, and in marketing. How has Intermedico Japan Co. dealing with all these components to make it successfully?

When we talk about

creativity in technology and product planning, since Intermedico Japan does not own any factories, our succes is all related to the great relationship with our partners factories in Japan, China, South Korea and Thailand, with whom we have built strong relationships of trust over many years, and work closely to develop and bring new products in the market. Together we constantly strive to provide high quality products that combine performance with value pricing, while establishing a successful relationship with our worldwide distributors and stay ahead of the competition by offering

new and unique products, based on the needs of our customers and market demands. Our recent innovative products are related to eyes. The launch of these products comes as internet usage increasingly penetrates into our lives, putting the eyes under ever-more strain. Eyes that are focused to a monitor the whole day, inadequate lighting, dry heating air and eyestrain, combined with insufficient sleep, are often the causes of “tired eyes”. Both our latest products, whether with steam/hot or cooling effect, under our private brands iMASK Warmer and iKOOL Gel Mask, help to relax tired

“Together we constantly strive to provide high quality products that combine performance with value pricing”

eyes soothingly and reduce the dark circles around the eyes. They can be used at any time: at the airport, at work, in the wellness studio, on the couch after a hard working day ... the relaxation is guaranteed.

As far as marketing is concerned, Inermedico Japan doesn’t do direct sales, instead same like in manufacturing, over many years we have build strong relationships with some best distributors in Asia, Middle East & Europe. Our business philosophy is that local distributors in each country know the

needs of their customers and market demands, far better than anyone else.

So instead of investing time and money on the market research in each country, we’ve decided to compleyely rely on the local distributors, who by the way are doing a great job in selling our products succesfully in their own countries since 2004, for what we are extremely grateful.

As an incentive, of course pending on their sales performances, we gradually reduce our prices as much as possible, so that money accumulated from these price differences, can be used by our

distributors for their marketing purposes. The establishment of our company in Prishtina, Kosovo, end of 2019, Intermedico Japan Europe LLC, marks the beginning of our involvement in direct sales to the end users.

What marketing approaches are you following to reach customers who are exposed to your new brands for the first time outside their home market?

As I mentioned above as well, since we only deal with distributors, they are the ones who handle the marketing, and we help them by providing constantly high quality products with great benefits, best possible prices and support them with tones of informations/documents/ international certificates, related to our products.

Now that Intermedico Japan Europe LLC is involved in direct sales, currently we are only using social media, i.e. Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn for marketing purposes, as well as to reach our customers and explain the benefits of our products. Hopefully after pandemic is over, we will be able to travel around Europe and introduce our products to potenatial customers with whom we met

several times over the years in various medical exhibitions.

As a conluding remark, I would like to say that we are open to cooperate with serious distributors not just in Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia, but also in the whole Europe and beyond. However, the only countries we must avoid are: Croatia, Montenegro and Lithuania, where we already have exclusive distributors. For all other countries, we are open for business, whether for distributing our products under our private brands, or by developing private labels upon request of the interested parties.

Also please allow me to wish all your readers, wherever they may be, a safe, healthy and prosperious life in months, years and decades to come. And to you and your team at Trailblazing Magazine, profoundly thank you for this opportunity to talk more deeply about our business and products.

TIRANA INC. Applicants Share their Vision and Persistence to Bring Ideas into Reality

Tirana Inc. closed the application phase with 43 applications from 109 students in 8 universities in Albania. The nature of the ideas was quite diverse. They all aimed to address and give solutions to different problems that not only students face but also a lot of other targets from industries like tourism, agriculture, fintech, etc. Selecting only 10 teams was a tough job for the jury members, who evaluated all ideas based on the “Desirability,” “Viability,” and “Feasibility” aspects.

Out of the 15 highest ranked, Top 5 ideas were automatically qualified and became part of the 1st cohort of the Tirana Incubation program; meanwhile, the other 10 teams went through the second round of evaluation and competed for the 5 remaining spots in the program.

The results so far show that Tirana Inc. is the right path to becoming the number one destination for student teams with a great business idea. The 10 selected teams are coming from different backgrounds and universities, but what they all have in common is their vision and persistence to bring their ideas into reality.

The first team is named “Aces,” and they come from the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana. Rea, Xhino, and Anxhela are 3 business informatics students in the last year of their bachelor studies that aim to solve the traffic issue that we face in Tirana. Their idea, “Parking Capsule,” will optimize the parking spaces in Tirana by providing the opportunity to book in advance for the parking space and the users can reserve the parking spot even though they may be far away from it.

Meri and Doriana, both sisters, have named their small team as “ DigiCaptivators .” Meri studies Telecommunication Engineering, and Doriana is an Economics Graduate. They have joint forces to solve a widespread problem that the students face: accommodation. Their idea consists of building a web-based or mobile app platform that would enable students, as the primary target group, to find a place to stay during their university studies, work, etc.

This platform will be composed of three main sections; in the first section, students will be able to rent houses online; second section will provide the possibility to book entirely online a dormitory room and the third section consists of a creating community where individuals can communicate to find a roommate to share the rent.

Golden Devs are 4 talented students from Epoka University. They were inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic where the physical contacts were reduced to propose a fresh approach to all businesses part of the service industry.

Their system, “Bite in Bytes” will solve long ordering “queues” and serving delays as it will facilitate the communication between the staff and customers with a simple click. Customers will be able to place their orders through their phones by scanning a QR code and getting connected to the menu while not having to wait for someone else to serve them. This offers ease and cost-efficiency for both the business and the customer.

Ana is a Software Engineering student at the Metropolitan University of Tirana with a great passion for psychology. She has merged both her studies and passion in her idea named “Healthy Mind.” “Healthy Mind” is an application dedicated to Mental Health and Self Care. It allows the tracking of critical daily habits, thoughts, and emotions, which will allow discovering patterns and behaviors. In all its activities, “Healthy Mind” will help overcome the mental health stigma and provide easy access to tools and information for improving the mental health of everyone.

Hygerta, Alba, and Artemisa are participating in Tirana Inc. with a beneficial solution for people who suffer from diabetes. Their application DDA- Diabetic Digital Albanian App, is designed to help all Albanians with diabetes to control a healthy lifestyle. Some of the services that the application offers, but not limited are: Organization of the daily personified blood sugar measurements, daily notifications that remind the patients of their medical schedule, important remainders for the appointment that patients have with their doctors, the monthly date for the medical analysis, informative sections of the treatments for the different stages and types of diabetes, etc.

Grasjela is a student at the Faculty of Economics whose idea started as a school project, but now she is determined to bring it to reality. Her application named “Parkilik” aims to digitalize the whole parking process by Providing a map of the capital which will show the free parking spaces in real-time & the fee that each of them has. It allows the registering of the vehicle with the relevant license plate, so that the driver can make the payment and determine the duration of parking.

“Pro Mind” is a team composed of 4 students studying at the Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana. Megi, Laura, Seldjon, and Ysiana have named their idea “City Med.” It consists of a structured website with all the summarized health information to help the Albanian citizens. The website has search options based on the name of the hospital or clinic, and it will display any necessary information for the institution, such as location, health services provided, contact forms, and prices of services. It also allows another search option based on the diagnosis. So, the user selects the type of diagnosis in the menu, and all clinics and/or hospitals that offer the service are displayed, along with the relevant data and information.

Dionis, Amoreld, and Xhesjana are participating in Tirana Inc. with an efficient solution dedicated to the car rental companies in Albania. Rentnow is a system developed for managing and automating the work processes of car rental companies. The system can provide online reservations, make safe payments successfully, real-time updates on available cars, direct contact between clients and companies, and constant sales and online promotion. This will help the rental car companies to be more organized and keep their data safe.

ThreeSixty is a smart, innovative, and unified e-shopping platform that brings together Albanian businesses by offering a 360-degree virtual tour. It aims to boost the online selling of these businesses, support their promotion and development, and educate them towards implementing an e-inventory. Lisbora, Nertil, Amela, and Belinda from Epoka University, aim to bring the first official e-platform for online sales in Albania, solve the lack of e-inventory usage in SMEs Albania, and also ease the confusion from fear of failure of the SMEs caused by the pandemic.

“I-Move” is a solution to the mobility info. Gap & services that enables accurate information buses schedules, nearest taxi, realtime connection taxi driverpassenger, reservation, travel tips, etc., in every user’s pocket/mobile. Through I-Move, Xhoni, Anxhelo, and Edona aim to save time, money and increase access to transportation while increasing the mobility culture and services.

ELONA KARAFILI:

Tirana Inc., the Outcome of a Very Thought and Interesting Process

BY RUDINA HOXHA

Elona Karafili, Vice Rector of Polis University, also leads Tirana Inc., the first multi-university incubation program in Albania. In an exclusive interview with TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE , Karafili, shares her experience about Tirana Inc, what impresses her most about this project and how her long previous experience helps her involvement. Also she highlights the big role of Preneurz Amsterdam in this project by providing technical know-how and training to Albanian universities.

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

Please can you tell us more about yourself and your role in Tirana Inc.?

I am a believer in the positive effects and benefits that arise from cooperative behavior and joint action.

I think that kind of mindset as well as my qualifications and experience in academia for 15 years, have placed me in a convincing position to be able to direct Tirana Inc.: the first multi-university incubation program in Albania.

Tirana Inc. is the outcome of a very well thought and interesting process. For the last 3 years, EU for Innovation

programme in Albania, funded by the European Union with additional support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as well as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), has worked to strengthen the innovation eco-system and start-

up development in Albania, through numerous instruments, among which capacity building interventions.

By engaging Preneurz Amsterdam, that bring a long-standing experience in entrepreneurship and start-up support programs, the project has provided

technical know-how and training to Albanian universities. There have been 2 series of masterclasses: “Entrepreneurial University” and “How to teach Entrepreneurship” that have helped Albanian Higher Education Institutions develop a better understanding on the importance to go beyond teaching and research, and engage in the so-called third mission of the university: to actively contribute in the regional economic and social development by becoming more entrepreneurial and an engaged actor in a broader eco-system.

I have been part of the group of lecturers that attended these trainings and I have witnessed first-hand how a structured and continuous support process has been able to inject transformative dynamics for the universities and push them to engage more actively in supporting their graduates to bring valuable solutions to pressing issues through their business ideas.

I have been trusted with the role of

the Managing Director by the Board (composed of the founding universities) and the international experts. It is something that I don’t take lightly because I know how much structures like Tirana Inc. are needed in our reality, not just to bring support to our youngsters but more importantly to bring hope. To show that they can realize their ambitions and become successful entrepreneurs here; create opportunities in their country, instead of searching for them abroad.

What impresses you most in this project?

My PhD research focused on cluster dynamics, taking Albania as a case study. It has taught me that we are a low-trust society, where actors are more prone of seeing other organizations as competitors as opposed to potential collaborators. Universities made no exception. I am very pleased to see that the cooperation among them is steadily growing, be it in terms of academic activities or research projects. But for 5

“I have been trusted with the role of the Managing Director by the Board”

universities (very heterogenous in their composition, public, private, old, new, large and small) to join their resources in a providing a service for their students and graduates is something that was not easily conceivable even a few years ago. Their willingness to work together and bring their best capacities to support the program has been truly impressive. Something else that I was very positively surprised by, was the number of applications we received as well as the diversity of the ideas brought forth by

the applicants. It was a validation of the potential impact that Tirana Inc. can achieve.

You are a qualified professional in the field of urban economics and finance, as well as a lecturer and researcher at POLIS University. To what extent and in what ways, does this affiliation help you with Tirana Inc.?

I previously mentioned that my qualification and especially my research field pushes me to have a strong interest towards local / regional innovation

systems where both: universities but also eco-system actors as Tirana Inc. hold an important role. However, I haven’t approached Tirana Inc. solely as an intellectual exercise, but besides the academic curiosity, I have joined it equipped with the eagerness and enthusiasm to work with an amazing pool of mentors (mostly business founders themselves) and to be engaged hands-on in a program that I think will not only benefit the participating start-uppers but the entire eco-system (universities, existing companies, investors and ultimately the community) by providing the most innovative and scalable ideas the possibility to grow.

Additionally, having spent the last 15 years working for a university have helped me obtain a thorough understanding of the institutional framework of higher education institutions.

Polis, in particular, is a very active and engaged organization with partners from the business, but also EU projects, innovation and applied research and has always had a strong involvement of

students and alumni in all its activities. This experience makes it easier for me to make a seamless transition from the education model in a university setting to another form of learning (more experiential), that takes place in incubation and acceleration programs.

What are your expectations about Tirana Inc.?

Our ambition is to become the number one destination for student entrepreneurs in Albania. It is not going to happen over-night but I think we are off to a good start. The program is designed by experts with remarkable experience, there is a lot of thought and dedication invested in it, we have identified a rich and committed pool of mentors composed by international and local individuals as well as diaspora and more importantly we have 10 great teams (selected out of 43), so I expect a very creative and vibrant atmosphere that we all will feed on.

Once we have the first graduates, it will then become much more tangible for the students and a lot of other actors, so I expect its influence to become increasingly stronger.

It’s time for holidays at last! We decided to go to the Lemon Beach Resort in the Cape Coast Area, Central region of Ghana. As we were travelling on Sunday early morning, it took us only three hours to get there. When we arrived at the small Resort, we were very impressed by the scenery and lovely round smaller villas with thatched roofs. The pool was inviting, so I jumped in as soon as we sorted the

formalities. Ahhhhh, what a refreshment!

Unfortunately, the sea here is quite dangerous to swim in because of the strong current and the waves.

The villas at the Resort were built by Ghanaian co-owner of the Resort. I really like their look, and staying in them was very comfortable, especially because of the constant sea breeze.

On the wall of each villa there is an Andikra symbol, which, apart from their

decorative function, expresses traditional Ghanaian wisdom, aspects of life and the environment. Some of those ones in the Resort represent Humility and Strength, the Power of God, Bravery and Faith in God or immortality of the human soul. Andikra symbols are very powerful and at least five-hundred years old. They are also used extensively in fabrics logos, pottery, and architectural features (source: yen.com).

My husband found himself a summer house to enjoy his holidays mostly reading books, but I have decided to be more adventurous. The next day I went biking around, which was hard work because of the non-asphalt roads and very hot sun! I saw salt lakes, where they manually produce marine salt, and bought some at the small town nearby. I haven’t seen so many birds, but the forest was quite beautiful. A full body massage after this trip was really needed

to soften my ackey muscles, so I was lucky to get really a pleasant one. The next day I explored Elmina, a small town very close to the Resort. My focus was to see the busy fishing port with the big fish market where 5000 people visit every day! Unfortunately, because of the Covid spread I decided to stay away from it though. With the motorboat I went to explore the port canal. Fishermen’s boats were moored side by side. It looked very crowdy, and also colourful because of the interestingly painted boats.

In Elmina there it stands a big castle, named after the town. It was built by the Portuguese in 1482. It was established as a trade settlement, but unfortunately became the most important stop on the route of the Atlantic slave trade. Elmina Castle acted as a depot where enslaved Africans were brought from the different kingdoms of West Africa. They were kept in a Castle in terrible conditions up to three months, and by the 18th century at least 30.000 slaves died there each year! From West Africa alone at least six million slaves were shipped to the different countries around the world. What a terrible history! Today Elmina

Castle is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (source: Wikipedia). A week of holidays very quickly came to its end. I arrived back to Accra suntanned and fitter because of the activities on the fresh marine air, but also richer for the experience of the Elmina sight-seeing and history. My husband was refreshed too and energised enough to start a new working day.

I was soon ready for some Ghanaian cultural experience. To be continued…

The Story of Irene Giannakopoulos and the Aegialis Hotel & Spa

THE IMPORTANCE IN HOSPITALITY IS TO LOVE THE PEOPLE

BY RUDINA HOXHA & JOSE PINTO

Irene

Giannakopoulos, Owner & CEO of Aegialis Tours - Aegialis Hotel & Spa confesses to TRAILBLAZING

MAGAZINE how she started the journey of hospitality until to date when her Hotel is the icon of Amorgos Island.

Located near Naxos and Ios, on the southern side of the Cyclades archipelago, Amorgos, a perfect holiday destination, is one of the most beautiful Greek islands and only accessible by ferry.

Her story demonstrates all the components of a real entrepreneurial venture and among all of them, the risk-taking factor dominates.

“The hotel was an extremely risky project, and we had to work very hard to protect and save it,” Mrs. Giannakopoulos said.

According to her, Aegialis Hotel’s success and fame is all about loving the people.

“The importance in hospitality is to love

the people. We welcome our guests, as if they were coming into our home. There is a feeling of our personal touch, and visitors become our friends, many of them returning year after year,” she said highlighting “the quality of the facilities, and of the services offered.”

FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:

A lifetime in the hotel and hospitality industry. Please, how can you describe it?

From my early age, from 11, I had the feeling of hospitality. My father was the first person to have 6 rooms to let on Amorgos!

At the beginning, only people from Amorgos origin, living in Athens were coming, for the whole summer, and at that time, (1967-1970) the amount they were paying for a room, was equal to 5 Euros of today, for at least 2 months.

When tourists started to come, only for a few days, I was the one who suggested to my father we should prepare coffee for them, with something to eat, and this is how I started serving breakfast to them,

From my early age, from 11, I had the feeling of hospitality.

which led my father to open a restaurant eventually.

There was no electricity, so to cool the drinks, we were hanging them in a basket in the well, 50 meters away from the restaurant.

At the age of 13, I was washing 20 bed sheets, in a basin, filled with water from the well, using homemade soap. My father made an arrangement with the first English tourist, to offer her a small

room and daily food, for an exchange of teaching me English.

I was sent to Athens for High School, and every summer continued my English lessons, and worked at the family pension.

I remember riding a donkey under the stars, on the beach, to the port, to meet people who would come on the boat, which would stay in the middle of the bay, and passengers were coming by tender boats to the small dock.

When I finished High School, and went to the new country, I got an office job within a week of my arrival.

What is your story behind Aegialis Hotel? How do you feel being a longlasting owner and CEO of this amazing Hotel?

We returned from the United States after 10 years, with plans to live a very easy and relaxed life, but decided to build the hotel, only when the island got connected with a road

the electricity came to our area, and a real port was built. Then, we visualized a beautiful hotel on the curve of the road, with nice views to the port. We bought a piece of the mountain, and spent all our savings in buying the land, in getting a building permit, and in digging the land, in order to create surfaces for building. Then, we had to get a loan, at a 29 to 36% interest!

It was an extremely risky project, and we had to work very hard to protect and save it.

What is the key to Aegialis Hotel

success and fame?

The importance in hospitality is to love the people. We welcome our guests, as if they were coming into our home. There is a feeling of our personal touch, and visitors become our friends, many of them returning year after year. Of course, the most important factor in successful hospitality is the quality of the facilities, and of the services offered. We feel very lucky that our children love the hotel, and they continue the tradition, putting their personal care into it.

How important has been and continues

to be for the hotel the organization of the gastronomy and film festival which you organize every year? The next edition of the Festival is approaching. What is your invitation?

Aegialis Hotel & Spa is not just for pleasant accommodation! We like to offer authentic experiences to our guests, memories to take back home, For over 20 years, we have organized cooking classes, wine tasting, garden tours in our organic cultivations, and herbal tours, all related to our local gastronomy.

They have been presented to all our conventions for culture and Tourism (YPERIA) and to all our Film Festivals, In our 12th Amorgos Film Festival, to take

place from 4 to 9 of November, 2021,

I am very happy to have a new Book ready to present about Amorgos, ‘My Amorgos”, referring to the gastronomy culture of Amorgos and the surrounding islands, the local production, and the food prepared based on the local products. PLEASE LAURA HERE YOU PLACE THE PHOTO COOKBOOK

COVER from the folder COOKBOOK

In this pandemic times, are the demands much more difficult to meet?

The Tourism industry went through great difficulties. We tried to create a safe environment for our guests and for our employees. We were among the first 10 hotels in Greece to get the Covid Shield certificate of TUV Austria. We started a small industry of making face masks (www.amask.com), donating to all Amorgos inhabitants, and then selling them as well to Greece

and abroad, keeping some of our staff members employed, and giving jobs to many local young people at the time of lockdown.

What remains still to be accomplished for Irene?

Our goal is to keep Aegialis Hotel up to date, so people can receive a pleasant experience.

Moreover, as we are very sensitive to the environment, and aim to rebuild many stone walls which are scattered all over Amorgos.

This will help the hiking, as it will clear the paths from fallen stones. We have managed to extend our tourism season to 9 months, the free use of our Spa facilities, our Gastronomy activities, the possibilities of hiking the trails of Amorgos, and the yoga facilities we provide, can keep Aegialis Hotel & Spa busy for the entire 12 months of the year, providing unique experiences for our guests, employment for the local people and keep the island alive and active all the time.

“We like to offer authentic experiences to our guests”.

How to Prepare BAHIA DIJAJ

The recipe is prepared by Mr. Ajay Markan, a remarkable international veteran cook from India. He is a well-known culinary advisor and food critic.

Bamia DIJAJ in Arabic, Okra is called “Bamia” or “Bamya” and it ’s very common in many households. It’s cooked with lamb or chicken in a tomato and garlic broth, and uses simple flavors that marry together so well! It’s one of my favorite stews in which I have given a slight Indian Spices Twist and it’s really simple to make. Relish this classic Mediterranean Dish...

SERVING FOR 5-6 PERSONS

INGREDIENTS

chicken 1 kg

garlic 50 gr

ginger 30 gr

chopped onion 200 gr

fresh tomato puree 200 gr

tomato paste 1 table spoon

baylea 1 piece

cloves 4 pieces

cinnamon 1 stick

cumin seed 10 gr

coriander powde 50 gr

Paprika powder 10 gr

turmeric powder 5 gr

cinnamon powder 3 gr

salt as per taste

ghee or butter 100 ml

okra / Bamia 300 gr

fresh coriander 00 gr

Heat the thick bottom hot with ghee. Add the whole spices, stir them. Add the cumin seeds, then add the chopped onion, stir till half done. Add the cut chicken and seal it on high flame.

Once chicken is seal, cover it for 2 mins. Then, just add the coriander powder, paprika powder and turmeric; stir it for 5 min. Add the fresh cooked tomato puree with tomato paste if need; add some water or stock to get good flavor from spices. Stir well once chicken is cooked and add some more stock and boil it. Let it simmer.

Add the fresh baby okra for 5 min; remove from fire and garnish with fresh coriander leaf.

Served with a ball of rice or bread as per choice.

THE MEDIEVAL CITY OF GJIROKASTRA

New Archaeological Data On Its Extension Outside The Citadel’s Area Since The 13Th Century

BY RESHAT GEGA *

Generally speaking, the scientific opinion and the one passionate about the historical and sociocultural development of the city of Gjirokastra or as it is best known the Medieval Gjirokastra has been mostly perceived and therefore presented the progress of the city relying mostly on historical sources and all the data coming from material, architectural and archaeological traces which have been mostly verified either spontaneously or through practical and research programs and projects.

The historical sources, descriptions of chroniclers and the written or published works of several travelers in different periods of time describe Gjirokastra as a well-developed city or a widely inhabited centre most likely to have initiated as such in the 13-14 century A.D. The city took residential functions and played a significant role in the historical events of this period and even later on until the rule and fall of the Pashalik of Ali Pasha Tepelena.

There are three major historical periods of Gjirokastra, starting from 13-14 century A.D, well distinguished with

features of their own. First, it is the period of the Despotate of Epirus which was a kind of state formation after the fall of Constantinople under the rule of the Latin Dynasty, on 13th of April, 1204. Despite the limited data ensured, the conjectural-political circumstances and developments during the Despotate’s times with its capital in Arta favored new impulses in the historical developments for Albania and Gjirokastra, as well. Gradually, regional political formations were emerging as they were concentrating and increasing their energies and chose Gjirokastra as a very important center. Prominent families of great contribution such as that of Zenebish and Spata emerged as the historical sources reveal. This is the period when the city of Gjirokastra became significantly important and influential in the southern part of Albania. During this period, Byzantine Christianity was the religion of the region including Gjirokastra as well. This was all prior to the Ottoman invasion in 1419. By this time Albanians gradually and partly converted to Islam.

By saving detailed description of the history Gjirokastra has gone through

wine jar for the table

with its last period under the rule of Ali Pashë Tepelena, we would like to draw the attention on a detail which has been unsubstantiated by its material and documentary data for a long period of time. This detail concerns the layout of the city and its development in time and spatial territory. There are limited data about this regarding the period of Early Middle Ages and the Despotate of Epirus. The city’s dimensions and layout were made known during the Ottoman conquest as they were revealed in the official acts of census and the invaluable descriptions made by the historian Evliya Celebi in the 17th century where a general overview of the city’s expansion, its neighborhoods and the number of the houses are featured.

Although Turkish documentary sources provide a general idea about Gjirokastra’s layout and its urban structure, this issue has proved to be not clearly substantiated in terms of its concrete archaeological and architectural material elements and structures. This has led to vagueness and a lack of some good understanding of a very important moment of the city’s urban development. It is widely held and rightfully so, that at the very core of the city’s foundation is the citadel (Kalaja) with the castle, but when and how its residential function extended outside it has not been clearly determined through documents and materials. All the data ensured by Celebi evidence the plan of the city outside the perimeter of the castle’s walls, but when did this all start is really vague. Did the city extend outside the castle’s area in the Despotate of Epirus period of time? Was the urban network functioning within the confines of the castle or did it extend the citadel

area being well-organized and in good harmony with its terrain of ranges of hills separated by streams? In addition to these issues being raised whose answers are to be found in the time span of 1314 century, a very important question is worth posing: Did this settlement have earlier developments outside the castle’s or the fortification walls? Regarding this question, a very valuable explanation has been given about what exists within the citadel’s area by the expedition in 1987-1988, conducted by Damian Komata whose revelations have been published in the journal ILIRIA Nr. 2- 1988. For the first time, objective data are provided on traces and developments of history, life and progress of what has been rightfully considered the nucleus of the city. It was materially proved that

life in this area of the city dates back to Prehistory and deeper into Antiquity and the Paleo-Christian Period in the 5-6 century. The results of the expedition made clear that the settlement and the city of Gjirokastra was not founded in a sterile terrain of no existence of social life before. It did not all suddenly emerge in 13-14 century, but it was initially conceived at the very ridge of the hill where the fortification system with its walls and towers were established over time.

Although the expedition of D. Komata provided a lot of new data on recognizing the genesis and progress of the settlement of Gjirokastra, due to the existing program and the limitations of the process for further archaeological research, no evidence could be obtained about the construction stages within the structural network of the citadel area so that traces of the period of the Despotate of Epirus, Zenebisht or Shpata were ensured. No research has been

made to date about determining the phases of the Turkish period of time in Gjirokastra which were reconsidered and even somehow altered by Ali Pasha when the whole reconstruction of the fortification was invested on. On the other hand, the issue of determining the development of the city outside the citadel area has received no attention and has been substantiated by no archaeological verification or traces. Regarding the development and layout of the Gjirokastra city extending the castle’s wall in 13-14 century, we have brought forth a very valuable and explanatory revelation. In one of the dwelling places of Mecite quarter during the restoration works, the terrain was cleaned and arranged inside and outside the house and the elements of

the original architectural forms were evidenced and treated. Fortunately, with the removal of some soil, pieces of ancient ceramic vessels came out which surprised all. We had obtained a genuine and extremely valuable archaeological material which is priceless for the history of the city. We put this material under the process of further official research conducted by the Archaeological Service Agency under the supervision of the Albanian Ministry of Culture. As the research and excavation continued, more archaeological elements emerged and they were all pieces of vessels dating from 13-14 century. Italian imports of the Renaissance period of 15-16 century were evidenced, too. The whole archaeological material was found in the surface of this house, the remaining walls of which are made of blocks of sandstone bonded with clay mortar. After all the completed work and the analysis of the documented archaeological material being made, it was definitely determined that we were dealing with the remnant of a dwelling place of the Despotate of Epirus period of time of 13-14 century. All these

ceramics were part of the kitchen utensils and the special thing is the fact that the archaeological dating of the ceramics give evidence to the existence of life in this dwelling place until the Ottoman period of time.

The archaeological findings in this dwelling place, the archaeological dating of the ceramics and their function gave a good explanation of what had long been lacking regarding the development of the history and the spatial layout of the city of Gjirokastra in the pre-Turkish period of time. This archaeological station clearly determined that the city had extended outside the castle’s walls and functioned as a living organism thriving with vital activity. The findings of the imported pottery, the pieces of a plate with an

inscribed dedication from the Italian market quite clearly reveal that the city had such an intensity of living of great economic and commercial vitality. Meanwhile, it is worth emphasizing that this is the second case when traces of the city’s existence outside the castle’s walls in the 13th century are evidenced. The finding of the capital of a Byzantine cathedral of the same period or perhaps dating even earlier in the place where the Palace of Culture was built, or where Kodra Complex is actually situated bears a great significance, too.

Not only does this discovery document and explain the development and extension of the city outside the citadel’s area since the 13th century, but it also brings forth a need and puts an obligation for further archaeological research on the whole area where Gjirokastra lies. Given that, good historical data can be obtained to give evidence to the dynamic development of the city’s layout and its spatial territory.

* Dr. Architect Restorer and Archaeologist Gen Red Company