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Young Face of the Week: Evangelos Sgouras, Sales and Marketing Manager of ‘Aries Villas’, Skiathos

GTP has launched a weekly column that introduces the young professionals of the Greek hospitality industry. Every week, a young Greek professional will refer to issues related to their profession, the travel & tourism sector and Greece as a destination.

vaggelis_sgouras_transparentEvangelos Sgouras

“My philosophy is to offer the best possible services with the aim to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.”

Hotel: Aries Villas
Location: Skiathos

Evangelos was born and raised in Volos, Thessaly, in 1990. After finishing high school he moved to Singapore where he resided for four years and completed his academic studies on Business Administration. Evangelos majored in Marketing and Management at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. He says that studying in such a place, with a multicultural class, made him “wiser” and more open-minded. During that period he acquired some working experience by pursuing an internship in a shipping company.
Some years ago his father had the brilliant idea to invest in the hospitality sector by building a villa complex on Skiathos Island. Today he works as the manager of this newly constructed villa complex named Aries Villas.

  • What are the things you like best about your job and how would you describe your hospitality and tourism management philosophy?

I would say that the interaction with people from different countries has helped me learn more about their culture backgrounds and has made me be more open-minded. Moreover, I like the fact that I am contributing to the promotion of my country’s beauties. Regarding my hospitality philosophy, it’s quite simple; offer the best possible services with the aim to achieve maximum customer satisfaction.

  • Have you had to face any challenges in your career to get to where you are today?

Unfortunately, or fortunately that some may say, I haven’t faced any real challenges yet, since directly after my graduation I was incorporated into the family business. If I have to say a challenge, since I don’t have so much experience, it would be the creation and preservation of VIP services that we provide in order to remain competitive in this highly challenged market.

  • In regards to hospitality, where do you think Greece needs to improve the most?

In my humble opinion, I believe that in general terms, the treatment of tourists by the government as well as the entrepreneurs should be upgraded to such a level where the money they spend can be perceived to be worthy of their expectations, in other words “value for money”. For example, we need better conditions in airports and roads, the creation of better marinas, and services that will ensure the satisfaction of the tourists, so they can visit Greece again, which I believe must be the goal for everyone. We have to think long-term rather than short-term.

  • What is your region’s best kept “secret”?  (In other words, what shouldn’t be a secret in your opinion and should be promoted more abroad?)

I don’t believe that there is any “secret” anymore nowadays. Probably, there is a lack of promotion about our mountain Pelion (Thessaly), the homeland of Centaurs. Its location offers unique scenery that combines views of the valley and other mountains, as well as the crystal clear waters of the Aegean Sea. I truly believe that the combination of being in a snowy environment and drinking coffee, while at the same time enjoying the endless view of the blue waters, is something that everyone should experience.

  • If you could pass on a message to the global hospitality and tourism industry about Greece, what would it be?

Even though we need several improvements as I have mentioned, I believe that we still lead the hospitality field, because the generosity, the friendly attitude and the treatment of visitors with our “open-heart” are some of the features that we have inherited from Zeus Xenios, which is not that easy to find in any other place of the world.

  • What are your plans for the future?

I don’t have any current plans to be honest, but, in the near future, a logical plan would be to expand my current business to different destinations in Greece, such as Pelion mountain, or some other islands. The tourism industry in my opinion is the healthiest among others; in a period that crisis has devastated most of them. Greece’s beauty and hospitality are something unique that everyone should see and experience.

  • If you didn’t work in the hospitality industry where would you be?

Since I was a kid, I always wanted to help people solve their problems and make them feel better by offering my opinion and contributing as much as I could. Thus, my passion was to be a psychologist. I know this has nothing to do with the tourism industry but this was always my “plan B”. Nonetheless, there has not been any moment so far in my life to regret being in this industry. My goal is to improve day by day and try to learn as much as I can in order to further broaden my knowledge and skills in the area of hospitality.

 Connect with Evangelos Sgouras on LinkedIn or be his friend on Facebook

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