Global Ambassadors

Dr. David Ermen is Low Season Traveller’s Responsible Tourism Director and works as 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 across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania, including national tourism strategies, tourism training colleges, and quality management systems for hospitality operators.

In addition to consulting, David researches, teaches, and guest lectures on service management and destination management at international tourism schools. He also contributed to the UNWTO’s Journey to 2030 report for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, focusing on private sector contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Recent speaking roles have included moderating Destination Day at ITB Berlin and presenting on destination management, overtourism, and millennials as sustainable travellers.

Chalana is the founder of RETRACE Hospitality, a Sri Lanka-based advisory service specialising in regenerative hospitality development and asset management. He brings regenerative thinking and circular models to investors, developers, and operators in tourism and hospitality.

Having lived in six countries and travelled to more than 60, Chalana combines global perspective, fresh thinking, and dynamic professionalism. He began his career developing hotels for international brands and institutional investors in Europe.

He holds a BSc in International Hospitality Management from Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne and a certification in Commercial Real Estate Development from the International Faculty of Finance in London, and he is also a Certified Climate Reality Leader. Chalana was Sri Lanka’s first signatory to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency.

A passionate advocate for regenerative tourism and conscious consumption, he supports Low Season Traveller’s mission to bring more responsible, planet-friendly travel to the forefront globally.

Warren completed his initial guide training through CCAfrica and spent his formative years guiding in the Greater Kruger National Park at the renowned Londolozi Private Game Reserve. Before this, he became a paramedic during his compulsory South African military service and remains certified as an EMT-I paramedic.

His work experience spans guiding, lodge management, remote bush camps, disaster management, and wildlife specialist roles across Tanzania, Kenya, the DRC, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Rwanda, Chad, and beyond. He has also worked with Animal Planet and National Geographic across Southern Africa.

Warren combines deep experience with a passion for educating people on all that Africa has to offer. As a natural host, he brought that energy to the popular Low Season Africa Live Talks series which he co-hosted for Low Season Traveller.

He is resolutely passionate about the role low season travel can play in Africa and throughout the world.

Andrea Grisdale spent her formative years in England’s Lake District before beginning a travel career in the 1990s. After travelling the world as an overseas representative for a British tour operator, she eventually settled in Northern Italy working as a guide and tour manager in the Dolomites and Lake Como.

Just before the start of the new millennium, Andrea founded IC Bellagio, a travel company delivering high-end Italian experiences ranging from villa rentals and exclusive tours to luxury hotels.

She is a vocal advocate for the travel industry, regularly inspiring students and young professionals through speaking engagements and encouraging her own team to grow through travel and development opportunities.

Andrea is a keen advocate of responsible tourism and is proud to work with Low Season Traveller as part of the solution toward a better, fairer, and more balanced global travel industry.

Rocco Bova is an experienced hotelier with more than 25 years of international experience, having worked with leading hospitality brands across 11 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, India, Africa, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

Educated in Italy, the UK, and later with Cornell University in Singapore, Rocco continues to study global tourism trends and applies that learning across hospitality, leadership, digital communication, customer experience, and business strategy.

He has worked with Jumeirah, Four Seasons, Hilton, Aman Resorts, IHG, LUX Resorts, Starwood, Marriott, and independent luxury hospitality businesses. He has also contributed extensively through articles, conferences, podcasts, webinars, and guest lectures at international hotel schools.

Rocco remains actively involved in the industry while developing his own business ideas, and he is currently based in Mexico working with a sustainable master-planned community in Cuatro Cienegas.

As CEO of Blinktrip, Marcelo is focused on transforming how people experience travel through personalised, culturally rich journeys. He leads work that combines generative AI, automation, and expert guidance to create seamless and memorable travel experiences.

His mission is to help travellers discover destinations in a way that promotes sustainable and conscious tourism while building deeper connections with local cultures.

Marcelo has long advocated for low seasons as the smartest way to travel, offering visitors a more affordable and enjoyable experience while reducing overcrowding and helping destinations optimise infrastructure and employment across the year.

He also highlights the need for expert guidance, recognising that not every low season is automatically the ideal time to visit every destination.

Maria Athanasopoulou is the founder of Respond OnDemand Ltd, a tourism marketing company that has supported destinations and tourism businesses with marketing and promotion since 2009.

A graduate of the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Maria serves as Chairwoman of the World Food Travel Association, an ambassador for Green Destinations, and a Master Culinary Travel Professional.

She is a sustainable tourism marketing expert who has delivered seminars, speeches, and presentations for tourism professionals and destinations in Greece and internationally on topics spanning tourism, culture, and culinary travel.