The tourism industry plays a vital role in the global economy and the entire relevant community. While in 2018 the industry generated 10.4% of GDP globally, significantly increasing employment rates, 2019 is expected to close with even more optimistic figures.

Referring to the official data of INSTAT but also of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), there is a considerable increase in the number of tourists year after year and meanwhile forecasts for its positioning for the coming years are very positive.

A key factor in creating sustainable tourism and at the same time the current challenge in the tourism sector in our country is the qualification of human resources and their employment. In this context, Green Coast, which has continuously introduced innovative services and programs in Albania and is working hard to provide the standard that has been lacking for years in Albanian tourism, has taken an initiative to support students studying to work in this industry.

Like last year, this year too, Green Coast again awarded an Excellence in Tourism Scholarship.

The winner of this year’s scholarship is Drilona Shehi, 23, a student of Tourism Management at the University of Tirana. The main criteria for selecting Drilona as the winner of this scholarship was achieving high bachelor degree results, as well as the selected field of study in tourism. This initiative is being undertaken in the context of evaluating tourism students as a high potential employer for the Green Coast project.

“Green Coast is the most important project of the Balfin Group in the field of tourism and one of the projects with great impact on its development for Albanian economy. Aiming to also enable Albania to reach the elite level of tourism as in most developed countries of the world, we are working to establish a genuine structure and multiple mechanisms, which include education and training of human resources. The scholarships we are offering to support excellence in tourism students are an important point of all the strategy and work being done in this regard,” said Ogerta Manelli, Human Resources Manager at Green Coast.

Asked why they decided to take this initiative, Ms. Manelli states:

“To answer this question I am citing a statement by Nelson Mandella: Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.

By qualifying human resources and then hiring them into the profile where they specialize, we are on the right track to raising tourism standards. “

As a highly dynamic and constantly changing industry, tourism requires qualified human resources, with the new knowledge and skills necessary to perform all managerial, administrative and operational functions as efficiently as possible. In this context, Green Coast aims to turn this initiative into a tradition where every year it supports and prepares excellence tourism students, contributing genesis to the creation and delivery of elite tourism in Albania.

The Balfin Group pays special attention to social responsibility, to be as close to the communities as possible and under the special care of the Group’s own president, Mr. Samir Mane, it implements a coordinated strategy for all his companies, not only in Albania, but also in other countries where the Group operates.

From the fund dedicated to this end in 2019 the Balfin Group has allocated € 1 million and 50 thousand euros and undoubtedly the support of further vocational education and training, including tourism, occupies an important place.