Soumaya Hamdi
Founder & Managing Director
Halal Travel Guide
Soumaya T. Hamdi is the Founder and Managing Director of Halal Travel Guide, the travel company offering bespoke trips designed for adventure-seeking Muslims. She has been described as the "entrepreneur redefining travel for millennial Muslims" and listed in the top 20 influential women in the travel industry. Halal Travel Guide works in partnership with local hosts from around the world, with a key focus on responsible tourism that benefits both travellers and the destination. Soumaya's commitment to responsible tourism is evident in the way Halal Travel Guide works with local hosts from around the world to create authentic and immersive travel experiences that benefit both the traveller and the destination. From traditional cookery classes in the Balkan countryside to exploring the Golden Age of Islam in Uzbekistan, Halal Travel Guide provides unique travel experiences that cater to the needs of the adventurous Muslim traveller.
https://halaltravelguide.net/
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Founder & Managing Director
Halal Travel Guide
Nishchal Banskota
Founder
Nepal Tea Collective
Nishchal (Nish) is the founder of Nepal Tea, a social enterprise which directly brings certified organic teas from Nepal to the American market and bridges the ever-widening gap between farmers and consumers. After graduation, he moved to his homeland, Nepal. Nishchal has ventured into opening the very first Tea Bar in Nepal with a vision to educate people more on tea and his unique business model.
As a promoter of UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Nishchal stepped into tea business tempted towards the prospect of providing education to the underprivileged farmers’ children. He believes that tea not only serves as a product to uplift farmers’ living standards but also provides the children with an access to education and a step out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
When not working for Nepal Tea, Nishchal is usually immersed in the global stock markets or reading fiction – always with a cup of tea.
Nishchal graduated with a degree in BSc in Business Administration (2015).
https://nepalteacollective.com/
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Founder
Nepal Tea Collective
Alexia Harten
Manager & Co-Founder
Peru Well Served
Alexia is a passionate traveler and food lover with a business background. She decided to transform her passion into her work and turn it into a way to impact and contribute economically and socially to her beloved country.
She studied Business Engineering, which she was grateful for because it has given her the tools to build a solid and efficient company, and her career path was meant to be in consultancy. But one cannot go against the heart, so she decided to found Peru Well Served five years ago with the aim of allowing travelers to get to know the soul and flavors of Peru as true locals and fall in love with it as we Peruvians are.
https://peruwellserved.com/
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Manager & Co-Founder
Peru Well Served
Maria Baryamujura
Founder & CEO
COBATI-Uganda (Community Based Tourism Initiative)
Maria Baryamujura is an Award-winning Social Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Community Based Tourism Initiative (COBATI-Uganda) a not for -profit tourism NGO promoting sustainable tourism for community development in Uganda. Maria is an Ashoka Fellow. She has over 35 years’ experience in sustainable tourism development and women empowerment across East Africa. She is an advocate for increased awareness in the tourism sector and of the opportunities that can be generated if rural people across Africa are provided market driven programs that protect the environment, preserve cultural heritage, and contribute towards rural transformation.
As the founder of COBATI, Maria has distinguished herself as the “Go to Person” for rural communities’ empowerment through sustainable tourism, and skills- based training. She is a mentor and motivational speaker on issues of rural women and youth empowerment. Maria stands out due to her passion in presenting ideas and views about how Africa’s tourism industry should shape with focus on local communities being integrated closer to mainstream tourism. She has served on Boards of various public sector tourism institutions including the Uganda Tourism Board, Crested Crane Hotel Tourism Training Institute and Uganda Wildlife Education Center.
Her work has earned her numerous accolades, awards and recognition both locally and globally. Maria is a recipient of the “Award of Excellence” from the Government of Uganda in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the promotion of “Tourism and Women Empowerment”. In 2013, she was inducted into the Inaugural Hall of Fame during the first African Diaspora World Tourism Awards in Atlanta Georgia, USA “For Outstanding Contributions; Dedicated Service in Cultural Heritage Tourism”.
Maria’s work was also recognized by the Commonwealth Business Council /Africa Magazine in the category of Leader in Social Innovation; for promoting business initiatives that can contribute to the success of the African economy. Her latest achievements include Winner Africa Travel Top 100 Women Award 2022, the World Agri Tourism Award 2021, in the category of Sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities Through Agri Tourism and the establishment of the COBATI Community Life Skills Training Center a social enterprise that equips rural youth and women with simple livelihood skills to enable them to move out of poverty with dignity.
https://www.cobatiuganda.org/
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Founder & CEO
COBATI-Uganda (Community Based Tourism Initiative)
Livio Colapinto
Founder
Zest of Italy
Holding degrees in Engineering and European Business, Livio entered the the financial industry with a rapid career between London and Zurich. He attended a Master in Food Communication at the newborn Slow Food University, flanked president and founder Carlo Petrini in its international activities and contributed to the early success of Oscar Farinetti’s Eataly markets. With his wife Kathrin he studied the food travel industry and founded Zest of Italy and The Genuine Experience gathering unique and authentic cultural, food experiences for the use of food professionals and discerning travelers. He works regularly with praised chefs within Worlds50Best, Chef’s Table, Michelin and James Beard circuits.
https://www.zestofitaly.com/
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Founder
Zest of Italy
Abeer AlAbbad
Junior Ambassador for Saudi Arabia
World Food Travel Association
Abeer is the latest ambassador to join our Association. She is representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is rapidly evolving and changing some of its customs to be more in line with global standards. Abeer is eager to help innovate for established and emerging brands in Saudi Arabia that emphasize cultural valuation through a contemporary universal approach. Her interests include branding, the food industry, design thinking, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, global impact, and cultural identity. She holds a BA in Marketing from Portland State University (Oregon, USA) and a MSc in Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation from King's College in London UK. While at King's College, she completed her dissertation on “Gastronomic Tourism: A Socioeconomic Growth in Saudi Arabia”.
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Junior Ambassador for Saudi Arabia
World Food Travel Association
Lauren Shannon
General Manager & Co-Owner
Arigato Travel (Japan)
From 2014-2016, Lauren was the content and community director for Odigo Japan a travel planning and sharing site and iOS application.
She had previously launched her own creative agency True Taste Tokyo - Stories from Japan. Focused on social media, and content marketing for small creative businesses based in Japan.
She is also a freelance writer and runs the 1100+ member group Tokyo Writer's Salon. She has created and hosted writing workshops, weekend retreats and loves working on new projects and working with new people. She has had non fiction works published in Japan and other locations around the world.
She has studied new world wine, and is passionate about customer relationships, excellence in service, and community building. A big part of her past job history was created marketing campaigns, planning events and community outreach. She treasures and develops a general love of the travel and F&B businesses and the intersections of art, tech, and global adventures.
https://arigatotravel.com
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General Manager & Co-Owner
Arigato Travel (Japan)
Chef Selassie Atadika
Owner & Founder
Midunu Chocolates Ghana
Selassie Atadika is an award-winning chef, educator, and food systems advocate. Born in Ghana, her family fled following a military coup, eventually settling in New York. She credits her mother and travels to over 40+ countries as a humanitarian aid for the United Nations as influences for her dishes.
In 2014, she returned home to Ghana to establish Midunu, Midunu Chocolates, and The Midunu Institute as love letters to Africa - a dedication to celebrate and preserve Africa’s rich culinary heritage.
She loves playing at the crossroads where culture, community and cuisine intersect with environment, sustainability and economy. This thought process is reflected in her organizations.
https://midunuchocolates.com/
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Owner & Founder
Midunu Chocolates Ghana
Daniela Felletti
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practitioner & Speaker
Talents Connection
Daniela Felletti, whose fascination with human behavior and education towards a more inclusive world has led her to become a consultant and educator on diversity, equity and inclusion. In Europe for 17 years, based in France, and operating globally, Daniela is a multilingual professional specializing in executive level consulting and training. Lecturer for top schools, she is an international DEI Speaker for companies seeking to evoke the importance of exploring the different reactions of the brain towards the other to create meaningful connections, to release curiosity and to awaken perceptions with empathy and authenticity.
https://www.danielafelletti.com
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practitioner & Speaker
Talents Connection
Jonathan DeLise
Writer
Finding Food Fluency
Jonathan DeLise is originally from the NYC-area, though he's also lived in various cities in East Asia, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico over the past several years. Since 2020, he has covered a wide range of food and travel topics on his website as well as his YouTube channel. Language study is one of his hobbies, and a pivotal reason why is to help him decipher menus. His dream title would be Fluent Eater.
https://noworkalltravel.com/
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Writer
Finding Food Fluency
Glenn Jampol
President
Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm and Inn
Glenn oversees operations at the Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm and Inn, a 14 room Inn and organic shade grown coffee farm in Costa Rica and one of the most personalized small hotels in the world. This hidden jewel is nestled in the central coffee highlands and has the highest level possible in sustainability certification. It is surrounded by fruit trees and dramatic tropical flora, with spectacular views of volcanoes, cloud forests and other coffee plantations. The Inn has a world class restaurant open to the public, a Spa and a small gift shop on site.
https://fincarosablanca.com/en/
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President
Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm and Inn
Erik Wolf
Executive Director & Founder
World Food Travel Association
Erik is the founder of the culinary travel trade industry, and Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association, the world's leading authority on food and beverage tourism. He is the publisher of Have Fork Will Travel (a practical handbook for our industry - find it on Amazon), author of Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest, and is also a highly sought strategist and speaker around the world on gastronomy tourism. He has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, and Forbes, and on CNN, Sky TV, the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, PeterGreenberg.com, and other leading media outlets.
https://www.worldfoodtravel.org
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Executive Director & Founder
World Food Travel Association
Elise Botiveau
CEO
Bechamels
A technologist by profession, Elise took her skills and experience and now applies them to the needs of digital marketing of clients in the francophone world. Elise is the country director for France for the World Food Travel Association.
https://www.bechamels.com
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CEO
Bechamels
Matricia Bauer
Founder
Warrior Women
Matricia Bauer is an indigenous herbalist and specializes in Indigenous plant knowledge. She introduce visitors from all over the world to the indigenous flora of the Rocky Mountains. As a member of the Cree tribe in Alberta, Canada, she is well-prepared to be able to serve as a liaison between humans and their plant relatives which provide us nutrition and medicines. She also processes foraged ingredients into indigenous bitters that she sells to restaurants, and in her copious free time, she is also developing and launching tea experiences with indigenous medicines. She speaks and consults all over the world about indigenous plants and medicine applications.
https://warriorwomen.ca/
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Founder
Warrior Women
Lisa Chase
Director
Vermont Tourism Research Center, University of Vermont
In her role, Lisa supports entrepreneurs and communities with resources, technical assistance, and training in agritourism and outdoor recreation. Her center integrates applied research and outreach to promote sustainable and regenerative tourism.
https://www.uvm.edu/vtrc
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Director
Vermont Tourism Research Center, University of Vermont
Bob Janssen
Owner
Bonaire Daily Fresh
After moving to the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire in 2018, Bob started researching and planning to set up an aquaponics-based greenhouse business for providing fresh produce all year round at a fraction of the environmental cost. Bonaire DailyFresh opened its production greenhouse last October and is now producing 100,000 veggies and 3,000 lbs. (1,361 kg) of fish annually. Bob specializes in incubating innovative ideas and driving them through scale-up. He has a background in business computing and is a passionate entrepreneur. He loves to travel, dine, scuba dive and fly airplanes when not working on one of his ventures.
https://www.dailyfresh.eco/
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Owner
Bonaire Daily Fresh
