Low Season Travel is a relatively new concept to hit global tourism. As such, we are delighted to be working with some of the most knowledgeable and passionate individuals who’s passion for responsible travel and tourism is unsurpassed. If you feel that you could help us to spread the low season message in your destination, please drop us a line at: info@lowseasontraveller.com.
Dr. David Ermen
Responsible Tourism Advisor
Dr. David Ermen our Responsible Tourism Director and is a consultant and speaker, with a focus on destination management, service quality improvement, and sustainability.
During his career he has managed large scale consulting and development projects in Europe, the Middle East, Asia & Oceania. The projects included developing national tourism strategies, tourism training colleges, and quality management systems for hospitality operators.
In addition, David researches, teaches and guest lectures on both service management and destination management related topics at international tourism schools.
In 2017, David was involved in preparing the UNWTO’s “Journey to 2030” report for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, focusing on the private sector’s contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Recent speaking roles include moderating the Destination Day at the ITB in Berlin and presentations on the management of destinations to avoid overtourism and millennials as sustainable travellers.
Chalana Perera
Sri Lanka Ambassador
Chalana is the founder of RETRACE™ Hospitality, a Sri Lanka-based private advisory service specialized in regenerative hospitality development and asset management. He brings regenerative thinking and circular models to investors, developers and operators in the hospitality and tourism sector.
Having lived in six countries and travelled to over 60, Chalana brings a combination of global perspective, novel ideas and dynamic professionalism to his clients. He began his career developing hotels for international brands and institutional investors in Europe.
Obtaining a BSc in International Hospitality Management from Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Switzerland, and a certification in Commercial Real Estate Development from the International Faculty of Finance, London, Chalana is also a Certified Climate Reality Leader. He was Sri Lanka’s first signatory to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, a global collective of industry stakeholders committed to building a more climate-conscious tourism sector.
Chalana has presented as a Guest Speaker at MIPIM – the World’s Leading Real Estate Market Event (France), ITB – the World’s Largest Travel Market (Germany) and the Young Hoteliers Summit (Switzerland), and is a member of the Hospitality of the Future Think Tank.
A passionate advocate of regenerative tourism and conscious consumption, Chalana is honored to support Low Season Traveller’s mission to bring more responsible, planet-friendly travel to the forefront globally. His expertise in hotel brand growth and experience with investment funds provides added perspective to Low Season Traveller’s global advisory team.
Warren Pearson
Southern Africa Ambassador
Warren completed his initial guide training through CCAfrica (now &Beyond) and spent his formative years guiding in the Greater Kruger National Park at the renowned Londolozi Private Game Reserve. Before this, Warren became a paramedic during his compulsory South African military service. He has retained his accreditation and is certified as an EMT-I Paramedic. Warren’s work experience extends from guiding to managing lodges, remote luxury bush
camps, mineral exploration camps as well as working in disaster management and training. His guiding and work experience has taken him from the vast Serengeti/Mara ecosystem in Tanzania and Kenya to the rain forests of Virunga National Park in the DRC and vast Kalahari sands of Botswana and Namibia and the almost untouched reserves in Zambia. He has explored areas such as the Eastern Congo, Chad, Rwanda and many other wildlife regions in Africa, where tourists seldom venture. Warren has also spent time working for Animal Planet as well as National Geographic on different projects through Southern Africa. He often serves a multiple role of wildlife specialist, photographer and paramedic. Warren has also recently been accepted as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Warren combines a wealth of experience with a deep passion for wanting to educate people on all that Africa has to offer. As a natural people’s person he is an entertaining and ever professional host and this has been highlighted during the fascinating and popular “Low Season Africa Live Talks” Series which he co-hosted for LST.
Warren is resolutely passionate about the role of low season travel in Africa and throughout the world and his favourite quote is from Albert Einstein:
“The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.”
Andrea Grisdale
Italy Ambassador
Andrea Grisdale spent her formative years in England’s gorgeous Lake District, before embarking on a career in the travel industry in the 1990s. After traveling the four corners of the world as an overseas representative for a British tour operator, she ended up in Northern Italy as a guide and tour manager in the Dolomites and Lake Como. Just before the start of the new millennium, Andrea decided to strike out on her own and form IC Bellagio, a travel company providing Italian experiences for high-end travelers ranging from villa rentals and exclusive guided tours to luxury hotels. Andrea is a very vocal advocate of the travel industry, inspiring students at colleges and universities to follow in her footsteps with her many speaking engagements. She is also very conscious of the role inspiration plays for her staff as well, encouraging IC Bellagio staff to travel abroad and offering exciting career development opportunities.
Andrea is a keen advocate of responsible tourism and is proud to work with Low Season Traveller as an essential part of the solution towards a better, fairer and more improved global travel industry.
Rocco Bova
Mexico Ambassador
Rocco Bova, is an experienced hotelier with over 25 years of solid, international experience having worked for some of the best international brands around the world in 11 countries, from Europe to Middle East, Asia, India, Africa, the Caribbean and Mexico.
Educated in Italy, the UK and most recently with Cornell University in Singapore, Rocco is an avid learner and continues his education investigating online to keep up to date with the latest global tourism trends.
He started his career in Dubai with Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, worked with Four Seasons, Hilton, Aman Resorts, IHG, LUX* Resorts, Starwood (now Marriott), and other independent companies managing world class, luxury hotels.
Rocco has contributed very actively in the industry, writing article in several hospitality blogs (Hospitality Net, Hotel News Now, Hotels Magazine, to name just a few). He has been invited as a speaker in several conferences, podcast and webinars and is a visiting (virtual) lecturer for some international Hotel Schools (Indian School of Hospitality, Hotel Institute of Montreux, Universidad Mesoamericana San Augustin, Anahuac Mayab of Merida, Universidad del Caribe).
He contributes actively as an influencer of the hospitality industry through social medias and has been a Board Member of pro bono organizations like Hoteliers Guild, GSN Planet and the World Wellness Weekend. After years of brewing his idea and mastering the art of hospitality, business management, leadership, digital communication and marketing, distribution channels, predicting future trends and customer experience, Rocco has decided to put all his experience and knowledge into a revolutionary business model that works and begun working on ”My Humble House” concept.
Rocco is still actively working in the industry and continuing to hone his skills and network to ensure a smooth transition from being an employee to being an entrepreneur. Currently he is in Mexico working for a developer of a sustainable master planned community in the Pueblo Magico of Cuatro Cienegas (Coahuila).
Marcelo Morales Rins
Argentina Ambassador
As the CEO of Blinktrip, Marcelo is dedicated to transforming how people experience travel by pioneering personalized, culturally rich journeys. With a background in scaling tech-driven solutions and a passion for innovation, Marcelo leads his team in creating a platform that combines generative AI, automation, and expert guidance to craft unforgettable travel experiences. His mission is to offer travelers a seamless way to discover and enjoy destinations, promoting sustainable and conscious tourism that deeply connects with local cultures.
“I’ve been advocating for low seasons for some time, even before we fully realized we were doing so. For us, it represents the smartest way to travel—offering travelers a more affordable and enjoyable experience, free from the usual overcrowded attractions. Moreover, it serves as our contribution to combating over-tourism. Destinations benefit as well, by optimizing infrastructure costs and providing permanent employment for local communities. However, promoting low season requires expert guidance, as not every low season is necessarily the most ideal time to visit.”
Maria Athanasopoulou
Greece Ambassador
Maria Athanasopoulou is the founder of the tourism marketing company Respond OnDemand Ltd, which provides marketing and promotion services to tourism destinations and tourism companies since 2009. She is a graduate of the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She serves as the Chairwoman of the World Food Travel Association and as ambassador of Green Destinations. She is also a Master Culinary Travel Professional. She is a sustainable tourism marketing expert. She has held sales, marketing and culinary tourism seminars for tourism professionals and tourist destinations, as well as many speeches and presentations on topics related to tourism and culture, at events in Greece and abroad.