European Conference on Sustainable Tourism – Celebrating 20 Years of CSTI Leadership in Sustainability (2006-2026)

Anna Karamanli was born in Thessaloniki. She is a mother of two children and has worked as a journalist in television and print media. She is a graduate of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Public Administration from “Neapolis” University in Paphos, Cyprus. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Sparta, with her research focusing on “The role of the media in combating violence.” She speaks English and Spanish.

She was first elected as a Member of Parliament for the 2nd Athens District with New Democracy in the elections of May 6, 2012. Since then, she has been consistently re-elected in all subsequent electoral campaigns (June 2012, twice in 2015, in 2019, and twice in 2023).

Apostolos Tzitzikostas was born on September 2, 1978.  

He is a graduate of Athens College.  

He obtained a BA in Political Science and International Politics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s degree in European Public Policy from the University College of London. 

In 2002, he established his own company in Thessaloniki in the production and processing of dairy products based on organic standards. 

In the national elections of September 2007, he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament with the Nea Demokratia party in the 1st Electoral District of Thessaloniki. 
 
As MP, he served as Secretary of the Hellenic Parliament, member of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs, and member of the Standing Committee on Financial Affairs.   

Additionally, he was a member of the Special Standing Committee on European Community Affairs and the Special Committee for the Reform Treaty of the European Union.  

He represented the Hellenic Parliament in the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly from 2007 to 2009.

In the regional elections of November 2010, he was elected Deputy Governor of Central Macedonia and Head of the Thessaloniki Regional Unit.  

In the regional elections of May 2014, he was elected Governor of Central Macedonia with 71% of the vote.  

He was re-elected as Governor of Central Macedonia in the regional elections of May 2019 and October 2023, receiving over 60% of the vote in both elections. 

In November 2019, he was elected President of the Association of Greek Regions and was unanimously re-elected President in February 2024, for the first time in the institution’s history.  

Since 2015, he has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions, and in July 2017, he was elected Head of the Greek Delegation.  

In February 2020, he was unanimously elected by all political groups President of the European Committee of the Regions. 

In July 2022, he was also unanimously elected First Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions. 

He has been serving as the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism since December 1, 2024.  

He speaks English and French, and his articles are frequently published in newspapers and magazines in Greece and abroad.  

He is married to Eleana Vlachou and has two children, George and Natalia. 

Commissioner Costas Kadis leads the EU’s Fisheries and Oceans policy, focusing on implementing a long-term vision for a resilient, competitive, and sustainable European fisheries and aquaculture sector to secure Europe’s food sovereignty. He is also responsible for the EU’s global efforts to restore ocean health, ensure maritime security, and support coastal communities across Europe. He oversees the implementation of the EU Ocean Pact, the flagship initiative aiming to ensure coherence across all policy areas linked to the ocean and strengthen Europe’s role as a global leader in ocean governance. 

A Professor of Biodiversity Conservation at Frederick University in Cyprus, Commissioner Kadis has held several ministerial positions for the Republic of Cyprus, including Minister of Health, Minister of Education and Culture, and Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment. He also led the Greek Cypriot Technical Committee on the Environment, engaging in reunification talks with his Turkish Cypriot counterpart. 

Born in Nicosia in 1967, he graduated from the University of Athens with a degree in Biology in 1991 and earned a PhD in Conservation Biology in 1995. He served as postdoctoral researcher at the University of Athens, thereafter, establishing the Nature Conservation Unit at Frederick University Cyprus and serving as Dean of its School of Education from 2005. 

Prof. Kadis is an accomplished scholar, authoring or co-authoring six books and over 50 peer-reviewed scientific articles on natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and environmental education.  

Jeremy Sampson is a globally recognized leader in sustainable tourism and the CEO of The Travel Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to reshape tourism so that it better serves communities and the climate. He has spent more than 15 years working across the travel and tourism sectors to drive systems-level change, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address some of the industry’s most pressing challenges. 

Since taking the helm of The Travel Foundation in 2019, Jeremy has helped position the organization as a catalyst for transformation. Under his leadership, the nonprofit has expanded its global influence, pioneering approaches that embed climate action, equity, and resilience into tourism planning and investment. He was a co-author of UN Tourism’s Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, launched at COP26, and played a key role in founding the Future of Tourism Coalition, a global alliance of NGOs committed to collaborative, destination-centered solutions. 

Jeremy has lived and worked in Brazil, Spain, and the UK, and now calls Spokane, Washington home. This international perspective, combined with a community-centric lens, informs his approach to every project and platform he engages with. 

In all his work, Jeremy champions the role of mission-driven organizations as essential to tourism’s future—challenging inertia, amplifying local voices, and helping the industry navigate an increasingly complex and climate-constrained world.

Helen is a Trustee of the TUI Care Foundation, board advisor and Non-Executive Director driven by a belief that tourism can be a powerful force for positive change. With a senior executive background at TUI, Europe’s largest integrated travel company, she has led complex organisations to deliver both strong commercial performance and lasting impact.

As CEO of Marella Cruises, Helen embedded responsible growth at scale, balancing customer value, sustainability and long-term resilience. Today, she works with boards and leadership teams to help them lead with purpose — aligning strategy, culture and decision-making to create value for people, planet and business alike.

Dr Anagnostopoulou Christina is a Full Professor of Climatology, and Synoptic and Dynamic Climatology. She was Director of the Department of Meteorology and Climatology (2021–2023) and Director of the Master Program “Meteorology, Climatology and Atmospheric Environment” (2017–2021).

She is a member of national and international scientific and professional associations. The fields of her scientific activities are Climate Extremes, Synoptic–Dynamic Climatology, Climatic Changes, and Dynamical and Statistical Downscaling. A substantial portion of her research has been conducted in the frame of funded research projects. She has co-ordinated and participated in national and European research projects, as well as a significant number of projects focused on the climatology and the impact of climate change in different sectors.

Christina Anagnostopoulou has been responsible for eight different climatology-related courses taught in her department, and one of her key priorities has been to keep the content up to date, offering students insights into the newest tools and developments in the dynamic field of climate science. She also strives to integrate new teaching tools and technologies.

Christina Anagnostopoulou has participated in several national and international conferences and project meetings. She has published more than 200 papers in international journals, international conference proceedings, and national conferences. She is a reviewer in 12 journals and the IPCC Special Report “Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation” in 2011.

She was Guest Editor of the Special Issues: “Climate Extremes: Observations and Impacts” (Climate); “Temperature Extremes and Heat/Cold Waves” (Atmosphere); “Climate Extremes, the Past and the Future” (Climate); “Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources” (Climate); “Climate Change and Responses for Water and Environmental Security” (Climate); and “Modelling and Forecasting Extreme Climate Events”.

Italian by birth, I immediately started an international career: two years in the USA (McCormick Group), almost twenty years with the Danone Group (Italy, France, Mexico) always in higher positions.  

I joined the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Group in 1989 as Managing Director of the company in Italy. Later, I was Vice-President of J&J Consumer International responsible for Customer Development for Europe and worldwide trade relations. Fluent in Italian, English, French, Spanish, knowledge of German, Greek and Portuguese. 

Passionate about Greece, I was the first Italian tourist to visit Elafonisos, in the early 70’s. I fell in love with this wonderful island, therefore I established the Eco-Sustainable Development Association of Elafonisos  (elafonisoseco.org website) for which I became its President. Elafonisos Eco aims to ensure the sustainable development of the island and solve some environmental issues, as for example the Lionfish threat, the survival of sea turtles , the protection of cedar trees and the promotion of the archaeological sites of Pavlopetri. 

Interests : traveling, cooking, photography, skiing and swimming, stay with friends and know new people 

Philippos Drousiotis has a distinguished career in tourism, specializing in Sustainable and Special Interests Tourism. He has held senior roles including General Manager at various hotels, Area Manager for Cyprotels Hotels & Resorts, and Business Development Manager for Cyprus and Greece.

He is a part-time lecturer at the University of Nicosia, teaching Sustainable Tourism and Environmental Management for Tourism & Hospitality, and has been a guest speaker at conferences in Cyprus and internationally on topics such as Sustainable Tourism, Tourism & Climate Change, and Special Interests Tourism.

Philippos has served on the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Hotel Managers Association and has an extensive network within the Cypriot tourism industry. As Chairman and Co-founder of CSTI, he has played a pivotal role in driving its projects in collaboration with government ministries and industry stakeholders.

He holds a BA in Economics, Mathematics & Business, an MSc in Applied Mathematics, and an MBA from the University of Iowa, USA. His consultancy work includes sustainable development and special interests tourism projects, including in Cape Verde through the U.S. Millennium Cooperation. He has also published articles and delivered lectures to students in Cyprus and abroad.

Rosie first came to Cyprus in 1975 with the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS). She later joined the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation’s English programmes and presented the magazine programme Round and About up until 2014, when she left to produce her own podcast, the Cyprus News Digest.

In 1990 she founded Cans For Kids, a registered charity which collects and recycles aluminium cans, using the monies raised to buy medical equipment for paediatric wards at Cypriot hospitals: over €350,000 worth of equipment has been donated to date.

Ο Ανδρέας Βύρας γεννήθηκε στη Λάρνακα το 1978. Σπούδασε Δημόσια Διοίκηση και Διοίκηση Επιχειρήσεων στο Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου και απέκτησε MBA από το Πανεπιστήμιο του Σαουθάμπτον. Εργάστηκε στη δημόσια υπηρεσία και στον τραπεζικό τομέα, ενώ υπηρέτησε ως Διευθυντικό Στέλεχος στη Συνεργατική Κεντρική Τράπεζα. Το 2016 εξελέγη Δήμαρχος Λάρνακας σε ηλικία 38 ετών, καθιστώντας τον, τον νεότερο δήμαρχο στην ιστορία του Δήμου. Επανεξελέγη το 2024 με ποσοστό 65,7%. Παράλληλα, έχει σημαντική κοινωνική και πολιτική δράση, συμμετέχοντας σε φοιτητικές οργανώσεις και εκπροσωπώντας την Κύπρο σε Ευρωπαϊκές και διεθνείς συναντήσεις.

Sanja Saler is a senior sustainability and compliance executive with over 20 years of experience driving sustainability, ESG,  risk management, and governance in the hospitality sector.

As Sustainability, Risk and Compliance Director and Data Protection Officer at Wavemaker Hospitality, she leads the company’s ESG and sustainability strategy, enterprise risk frameworks, and reporting, providing strategic insights that support executive decision-making and long-term business resilience.

Sanja’s expertise spans environmental, cyber, and governance risk management, sustainability certifications, regulatory compliance, and insurance alignment across multi-country operations. Her work focuses on creating strategic value by integrating sustainability and risk considerations into business decisions, enhancing operational resilience, and improving sustainable growth.

Her academic background in environmental policy, sustainability strategy, and crisis and risk management supports strong governance, informed decision-making, and long-term sustainable business performance in complex organizational environments.

Farah Shammas is the Managing Director of the award-winning St Raphael Resort and Marina in Limassol, a pioneer in sustainable luxury and eco-conscious hospitality. With a background in Classical Literature and Tourism Marketing, and certifications in plant-based nutrition, Farah champions the ethos: “Radiate Kindness with Sustainable Luxury.”

An accomplished speaker and podcast host of Hotel Talk with Farah Shammas and The Farah Shammas Podcast, she shares insights on sustainability, wellness, women’s empowerment, and leadership. Farah is also the founder of Farah’s Club, an international wellness community promoting health, happiness, and personal growth.

An advocate for plant-based living, Farah has authored four books, including two vegan recipe guides and two children’s books with healthy recipes, with her fifth book, SUM IT UP, launching in 2026.

Charis Papacharalambous is a partner of the OTS & MTS GLOBE Group.

Charis joined OTS & MTS GLOBE CYPRUS as Managing Director and partner for Cyprus in January 2020 following a long career in various tourism roles.

Charis studied Travel & Tourism in London and also holds an MBA from the CIIM.

Charis has spent most of his professional career in Tourism holding senior management and CEO positions in local but also European groups engaged in a wide range of Travel & Tourism sectors including the Hotel industry, Travel Agencies, Tour Operating, International Cruising as well as Destination Management Companies.

He is currently also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACTTA (Association of Cyprus Travel & Tourism Agencies).

Charis also spent a short time of his professional career outside the Travel & Tourism sector when he served as the CEO of Invest Cyprus for a 4-year spell between 2012-2016.

George Paschalis joined Hermes Airports Ltd in January 2017 as Chief Financial Officer.  George has more than 15 years combined experience in the areas of corporate finance, investment banking and financial analysis having held the position as the Head of Investment Banking for SFS Limited and a Credit Analyst for Moody’s Investor Services. Prior to joining Hermes, George worked for the Louis Group for several years where he held a number of roles including that of Group CFO.  

George is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus. He holds a BA and an MA degree in Economics from Cambridge University. 

Γιώργος Πασχάλης, Ανώτατος Οικονομικός Διευθυντής 

O Γιώργος Πασχάλης εντάχθηκε στην ομάδα της Hermes Airports Ltd τον Ιανουάριο του 2017 ως Ανώτατος Οικονομικός Διευθυντής (CFO). O Γιώργος κατέχει πέραν των 15 ετών εμπειρία που εκτείνεται στους τομείς της Εταιρικής Χρηματοδότησης (Corporate Finance), Tραπεζικής Eπενδυτικής (Investment Banking) και οικονομικής ανάλυσης. 

Κατείχε τη θέση του επικεφαλής της Επενδυτικής Τραπεζικής στην SFS Limited και του Αναλυτή Πιστωτικών Κινδύνων (Credit Analyst) στην Moody’s Investor Services. Πριν την ένταξή του στη Hermes Airports Ltd ο Γιώργος εργάστηκε στον Όμιλο Louis για αρκετά χρόνια όπου είχε αναλάβει αρκετούς ρόλους συμπεριλαμβανομένου και του Επικεφαλής των Οικονομικών Υπηρεσιών. 

Ο Γιώργος είναι μέλος του Ινστιτούτου Εγκεκριμένων Λογιστών της Αγγλίας και Ουαλλίας (ICAEW) και του Συνδέσμου Εγκεκριμένων Λογιστών Κύπρου. Κατέχει πτυχίο ΒΑ και ΜΑ στα Οικονομικά από το πανεπιστήμιο του Cambridge της Αγγλίας. 

Scott is easyJet holidays’ Senior ESG Manager, responsible for the delivery of the easyJet holidays sustainability strategy, “Holiday Better”, which launched in September 2021.

The strategy focuses on three key pillars: create better holiday choices, which is about making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special, which is maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism; and transform travel for everyone, which means embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry.

Scott has driven funding, support, and partnerships with organisations and individuals who are delivering significant progress towards making more sustainable holidays mainstream. This has included joining forces with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) to offer hotel partners the chance to complete a Sustainable Tourism Course, helping to grow easyJet holidays’ range of Certified Sustainable hotels.

Jeremy Sampson is a globally recognized leader in sustainable tourism and the CEO of The Travel Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to reshape tourism so that it better serves communities and the climate. He has spent more than 15 years working across the travel and tourism sectors to drive systems-level change, bringing together diverse stakeholders to address some of the industry’s most pressing challenges. 

Since taking the helm of The Travel Foundation in 2019, Jeremy has helped position the organization as a catalyst for transformation. Under his leadership, the nonprofit has expanded its global influence, pioneering approaches that embed climate action, equity, and resilience into tourism planning and investment. He was a co-author of UN Tourism’s Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, launched at COP26, and played a key role in founding the Future of Tourism Coalition, a global alliance of NGOs committed to collaborative, destination-centered solutions. 

Jeremy has lived and worked in Brazil, Spain, and the UK, and now calls Spokane, Washington home. This international perspective, combined with a community-centric lens, informs his approach to every project and platform he engages with. 

In all his work, Jeremy champions the role of mission-driven organizations as essential to tourism’s future—challenging inertia, amplifying local voices, and helping the industry navigate an increasingly complex and climate-constrained world.

Apostolos Tzitzikostas was born on September 2, 1978.  

He is a graduate of Athens College.  

He obtained a BA in Political Science and International Politics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a Master’s degree in European Public Policy from the University College of London. 

In 2002, he established his own company in Thessaloniki in the production and processing of dairy products based on organic standards. 

In the national elections of September 2007, he was elected Member of the Greek Parliament with the Nea Demokratia party in the 1st Electoral District of Thessaloniki. 
 
As MP, he served as Secretary of the Hellenic Parliament, member of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs, and member of the Standing Committee on Financial Affairs.   

Additionally, he was a member of the Special Standing Committee on European Community Affairs and the Special Committee for the Reform Treaty of the European Union.  

He represented the Hellenic Parliament in the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly from 2007 to 2009.

In the regional elections of November 2010, he was elected Deputy Governor of Central Macedonia and Head of the Thessaloniki Regional Unit.  

In the regional elections of May 2014, he was elected Governor of Central Macedonia with 71% of the vote.  

He was re-elected as Governor of Central Macedonia in the regional elections of May 2019 and October 2023, receiving over 60% of the vote in both elections. 

In November 2019, he was elected President of the Association of Greek Regions and was unanimously re-elected President in February 2024, for the first time in the institution’s history.  

Since 2015, he has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions, and in July 2017, he was elected Head of the Greek Delegation.  

In February 2020, he was unanimously elected by all political groups President of the European Committee of the Regions. 

In July 2022, he was also unanimously elected First Vice-President of the European Committee of the Regions. 

He has been serving as the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism since December 1, 2024.  

He speaks English and French, and his articles are frequently published in newspapers and magazines in Greece and abroad.  

He is married to Eleana Vlachou and has two children, George and Natalia. 

Kostas Koumi was appointed Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus in March 2023. With over 20 years of experience across tourism, real estate, education, and the public sector, he brings deep expertise in strategic development, negotiation, and international business networking. He previously served as Vice Chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organization (2014–2018) and the Cyprus Telecommunication Authority (2019–2020), and was a member of the Public Service Commission until 2023. Holding degrees in Business Administration and Media & Communication, he is committed to advancing Cyprus’s tourism sector and sustainable growth.

Antonia Theodosiou has served as the Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare of the Republic of Cyprus since January 2024. She is an Architectural Engineer with a Master’s in the restoration of historic monuments, an Environmental Engineer, and a licensed Tourism Guide, with longstanding professional experience at the intersection of environment, culture, and sustainable development.

She played a leading role in promoting the Sustainable Development Plan for the Akamas Peninsula and contributed to the inscription of “The Art of Dry Stone Walling, Knowledge and Techniques” on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. She also co-conducted research for the documentary Petra stin Petra on Cyprus’s dry-stone heritage.

Ms Theodosiou has received national and international awards for projects in monument and anthropogenic landscape restoration. She has co-authored publications on traditional architecture, cultural landscapes, dry-stone heritage, and the environment.

She serves on the boards of the International Scientific Society for Dry Stone Interdisciplinary Study (SPS), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture, and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE), and other national and international organisations.

Matt is easyJet holidays’ Chief Operating Officer and a member of the management board, responsible for all aspects of customer experience and business operations, as well as the development and implementation of the easyJet holidays sustainability strategy, “Holiday Better”.

The award-winning strategy focuses on three key pillars: create better holiday choices, which is about making sustainable travel affordable and accessible to everyone; keep our holidays special, which is maximising the benefits and minimising the negative impacts of travel and tourism; and transform travel for everyone, which means embedding sustainability into business decisions and behaviours and driving meaningful change in the industry.

As part of this, Matt has implemented a partnership with UN Tourism to help develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for tourism businesses, co-designing a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for better monitoring how tourism businesses impact, and depend on, people, planet, and prosperity.

Prior to joining easyJet, Matt held a number of senior customer and operational roles at British Airways.

Nina Boys is Vice President of Sustainability & Beyond Green at Preferred Travel Group, where she shapes strategies for destinations and hospitality companies around the world that protect nature, celebrate culture, and empower local communities.

In this role, she oversees Beyond Green, a global community of bold leaders advancing sustainable travel, including rigorous membership criteria and independent inspections of world-class hotels, resorts, and lodges driving impact in action through meaningful guest experiences. She also oversees Preferred Travel Group’s climate action planning and implementation process and builds collaborative partnerships that help scale collective impact across the industry.

With extensive professional experience across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the U.S., Nina’s work has been featured in National Geographic, and she has been profiled and quoted in leading publications including the The New York Times.

Boris Erg is Director of the IUCN Regional Office for Europe (EURO) in Bonn. Boris’ professional career spans more than 25 years focusing on nature policy and governance and management of natural resources. Key areas of expertise include nature-based solutions, transboundary conservation, and protected areas. He has worked with partners at all levels, spanning international organisations, governments, and non-state actors. Throughout his career, Boris has actively promoted and advocated for the concept of fair and equitable governance of natural resources as a response to growing societal and environmental challenges.

Mr Angelos Iacovides is the Managing Director of Scenario Creative Services. He studied Media and Communication at Birmingham City University in the United Kingdom. He is a lecturer at Intercollege, teaching Marketing and Public Relations. He is also the Head of Marketing and Communication for Intercollege, the Cyprus Maritime Academy, and the University of Nicosia Training and Development Unit. He has over 35 years media experience as a radio producer and presenter (SUPER FM, KLIK FM), Journalist (To Periodiko, TV Star, Eleftheria newspaper London), website owner (music.net.cy, skopies.net), and TV producer and presenter (PIK, SIGMA, O ΛΟΓΟΣ, MTV CYPRUS, CAPITAL TV).