Alma Spathara, a woman full of energy and passion for work and life has found the best form to overcome Covid's challenges. Adapting to new strategies and work plans, more flexibility, is enabling her not only to survive but to succeed even in these difficult times.
The pandemic has been around for almost a year. What have been your challenges as an entrepreneur in this period?
The spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 represents an important and evolving challenge for the tourism sector. It is the most affected sector in the world, and in Albania also. In the face of the global pandemic, entrepreneurs have to face a new reality, which is not just a major health crisis affecting millions, or even billions of people worldwide, but also provokes an unprecedented decline in the world and Albanian economy. Covid 19 has primarily restricted the movement of people around the world to prevent its spread, which is directly related to culture, health, natural tourism, etc. As an entrepreneur in hospitality tourism, agritourism, and adventure tourism, 70% of our income comes from foreign tourists and 30% from domestic tourists. Our main challenges have been:
1- To increase the number of new local customers
2- To keep human resources at work, a trained staff is the most important investment for businesses in the field of tourism
3- Increasing promotion and digitalization to have more contact points with our customers
4- Improving our services, creating new and interesting products for all age groups
5- Continuous training and information of guides and staff
What have you learned from this unusual time and what have you changed in your work strategy, to adapt to an emergency or even to ensure growth?
Entrepreneurs are fighters; by nature, they’re optimistic and resilient. I learned how important family, health, and support for each other are. I learned how important solidarity, cooperation, and teamwork between my staff members are. The main strategy for us has been flexibility for any booking or request. We have changed the cancellation policies by allowing foreign tourists to postpone their reservations instead of canceling them. Reduce fixed costs by turning them into variables. Re-creating a new business plan that responds to the new conditions, which should anticipate a period of the economic crisis of at least 2 years. My motto is: Keep playing to win, not to survive: That way, you can manage to survive and at the same time, you will prepare for the day after the end of the crisis, because after a rainy day there will always be sunny days.
Have you made any new commitments in the meantime?
This pandemic period has also had its positive sides as I have been able to build new spiritual and business connections with many colleagues, entrepreneurs, women, and locals. One of the most important commitments has been being a member of the Women's Chamber of Commerce which brings together the challenges of women entrepreneurs. The connection I have established with women members helps me move forward, be energetic, and stay informed about new opportunities for cooperation, more in the field of digital marketing thanks to many webinars and online training. Yoga has been one of my new commitments and also during this period I have been trained to become a professional guide to the sport of rafting and canyoning. Quality time spent with family and friends has been fantastic.
What are the services you offer and what is your approach to the client?
I am the co-founder of the tourist complex in Berat "Hotel Restaurant Castle Park" and "Albania Rafting Group" the first company that brought the sport of rafting for the first time in Albania in 1999 and today conducts 15 types of sports and outdoor activities in some of the deepest areas such as the canyons of Osum and Gradec in Skrapar, Mount Tomorr, the villages of Përmet, Divjaka, the villages of Gjirokastra, Leskovik, Valbona, etc. My husband and I started our journey in the field of tourism when the media was only talking about black chronicles and when the number of foreign tourists was negligible. We started outdoor activities by accompanying a single tourist and today we associate with thousands. Over the years Albania was changing and developing rapidly, making many foreign tourists curious to visit it. Already after 2 decades of work "Albania Rafting Group" develops 15 outdoor sports such as rafting, hydrospeed, kayaking in seas and lakes, canyoneering, zipline, stand-up paddle, hiking, caravan mules, river hiking, snowshoeing, off-road, exploration canyon, cave exploration, etc. We promote Albania through daily and multi-day tourism packages, outdoor sports in remote areas of Albania, increasing the opening of businesses and employment of many young people and women in these areas, and bringing employment to small local businesses and residents. Together we have lobbied and protected the Osum Canyons from the construction of the Hacs and continue the fight to protect the Vjosa River and other rivers from the construction of hydropower plants.
From the creation of our organization until now, our priority has been the same: to offer people the best experience they can seek by beautifully combining outdoor activities in remote areas, staying in the homes of residents, enjoying their food accompanied by the local guide. Our hard work has only confirmed to us that this can only be achieved with a dedicated group of people. Each member of our team considers his work a mission. Our goal is for tourists to be safe and have a lot of fun on all our adventurous trips to Albania. Mindset is essential. First, every tourist is considered a guest, Albanian hospitality is a heritage and remains one of our most important traditions. The passion that coaches transmit during the training of new guides is also essential. They are first and foremost your friend and you get the attention you deserve, at the same time they are professionals with standards for your travel safety. This is what keeps us strong over the years, learning from our mistakes and improving our services every day. We want tourists to come back at the end of the day with a memory they can share with all their friends and family.
The barriers between being a woman and being an entrepreneur require specific management and philosophy. How did you manage either of these two sides of your coin? Has the fact of being a woman hindered or helped you?
Being a woman I have never felt like an obstacle, as I grew up with two cultured parents and I have a husband who supports me and encourages me a lot. Being successful will often mean learning from those who have already achieved their goals. Having a mentor is a great blessing for an entrepreneur. My mentor is my husband. Meeting my husband Zamo, who has a vision and had a lot of knowledge and training in the field of tourism, further strengthened my passion for nature and sports. He is my mentor and together we are raising 3 children who today are also engaged in our business. My philosophy is that success depends on the team you have built and alone you can never be successful. I am lucky to be surrounded by very prepared young men and women.
What would you suggest to young people who want to start a business or have a successful career?
Here are some of my tips for being successful:
1. Find a mentor. Learning from the experience of successful people and taking advice from their experience is very important to your success.
2. Challenge yourself by learning new things. My biggest motivation is to continue to challenge myself. Young people can learn new things every day.
3. Do the work you like and believe in yourself. The only way to be happy is to do what you love most, only then will you find ways to overcome obstacles.
4. Tell me who you hang out with to tell you who you are. Stay with people you would like to become as you can learn from them.
5. Invest time in your business. No one succeeds right away and we were all beginners once. It took me 10 years to get where I am.
Build a great team. No one succeeds in business alone. Build a very good team to be successful.
This March, International Women's Day is very important. The theme selected for this year is very beautiful: "Choose to Challenge" #choosetochallenge. I choose to challenge, the wrong policy, which has forgotten the women of remote areas in Albania! I choose, through my work in adventure and agritourism for 20 years, to develop deep and isolated places where there is no roads, schools, future! I choose to bring as many tourists and income and improve the lives of women and youth in these villages, bringing hope and joy. I'm sure that with the development of adventure tourism their life and mentality will change. I choose to challenge myself! I choose to become the first female rafting and canyoning guide in Albania. Today I would like all of us to challenge ourselves as well. I know we all have gifts, values, talents, abilities and we do not use them enough to help, motivate, direct, love the women, girls, and people around us. We can do even more if we believe in ourselves, if we use the skills we have to help others. Choose to challenge yourself because change comes from the challenge. They said we were too fragile to run marathons and now women are breaking world records. They said we could not have businesses, we could not run them. Now women in Albania are successful entrepreneurs while raising kind, educated, loving, and strong children in their homes. We lead families, businesses, countries. Let us celebrate the achievements of women, our achievements! Choose the challenge because it brings change!
0 comments