Summit Agenda Speakers

After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Transport Economics, Marc gained his first experience in airline network planning and revenue management at Condor. He joined SunExpress’ – a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines – Network Planning team in 2018, quickly progressing to Manager Network Planning in 2023 and assuming the role of Head of Network Planning, Scheduling, and Airline Partnerships in 2025. During the COVID period, he expanded his theoretical foundation by earning a Master’s degree in Controlling and Finance. Marc is passionate about aviation fundamentals and airline economics, playing a key role in driving SunExpress’s strong network expansion – doubling the fleet between 2019 and 2025 – and shaping its evolution from a purely touristic carrier between the DACH region and Türkiye into one of Europe’s leading leisure airlines.

Yrjötapio “Y.T.” Kivisaari is a distinguished leader in the tourism and hospitality sector, currently serving as President and CEO of Visit Oulu, a leading Destination Management Organization in Finland. He holds a Master’s degree in Leadership and Sustainability, along with a Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University programme.

Mr. Kivisaari serves in several positions of trust, including the Chamber of Commerce and Destinations International. As a passionate advocate for community engagement, sustainability, year-round tourism development, and social inclusion, he excels in leadership and promoting hospitality. Known for his storytelling skills and expertise in navigating change, Mr. Kivisaari is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the field. His work emphasizes creating inclusive, accessible, and accountable tourism practices, reflecting his deep commitment to social sustainability.

Stacey A. Liburd is the newly appointed CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority and a respected leader in Caribbean tourism. With over 15 years of experience, she previously served as Anguilla’s Director of Tourism, where she led the island to record-breaking visitor arrivals and global recognition through award-winning campaigns. Known for her strategic vision, collaborative leadership, and commitment to sustainable tourism, Stacey brings a proven track record of innovation and impact. She holds multiple certifications in tourism management, sustainability, and governance.

Richard is a serial entrepreneur and proven change-maker, leveraging 15+ years of leadership in sustainable finance and tourism for innovative solutions in the travel industry. As the founder of One Planet Journey, the authority on deep travel, he helps brands and destinations future-proof their operations by connecting them with the high-value, conscious traveller.

His mission is to make deep travel experiences the norm. He believes in an industry where authenticity, personalisation, sustainability, immersion, and exclusivity define successful hospitality and travel.

Richard’s keynote will focus on how the Deep Travel movement tackles the challenge of tourism seasonality by driving extended stays, geographic dispersion, and sustained, high-yield revenue throughout the calendar year.

CEO and Founder of Julius Rose Business Consulting, specializing in business strategy, investment project management, and value creation, with a strong focus on consulting and project leadership in the tourism sector.

European HTI Summit Director – representing HTI (Health Tourism Industry), the leading European platform for health travel and tourism business that connects medical, spa, and wellness professionals, service providers, decision makers, industry associations, and destinations through high-level events and initiatives supported by prominent European and global institutions.

Founder and Organizer of the International Conference TOURISM 365, tourism leaders gathering event in SEE on sustainable and innovative year-round tourism, destination development and the future of the sector.

President of the Croatian National Health Tourism Association at Croatian Chamber of Economy that connects providers of healthcare, tourism companies, travel agencies and other professionals dedicated to health tourism development.   

Management Advisor at Terme Tuhelj, a role preceded by serving as the CEO of Terme Tuhelj since its early beginnings. During that time, led the company’s strategic development and major investments to transform and position Terme Tuhelj as a trendsetter in Croatia’s spa and wellness tourism.

Actively engaged in various national and international organizations and associations dedicated to the advancement of tourism and economic development. A strong advocate for year-round tourism and the sustainable growth of the tourism sector, and international collaboration. Lecturer, conference speaker, author of articles on tourism.

With over 20 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry, Natalia Bóveda is the Marketing Executive at the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, promoting the province of Málaga globally through marketing campaigns, trade fairs, conferences, and strategic partnerships.

Her background across the leisure, cruise, airline connectivity, sustainability, and technology sectors provides her with a broad understanding of global tourism trends. Passionate about sustainability, she actively contributes to initiatives developed by the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, such as Sabor a Málaga, the Carbon Footprint Calculator, and the Huella Cero project with Green Destinations. She frequently represents the destination at major international events including WTM, Seatrade, Routes, Matka, TBEX, and Spain Talks.

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.

Manila Di Maira is the founder of Emotional Sicily, an award-winning travel design studio recognized by the International Centre for Responsible Tourism for its commitment to sustainability and community engagement.

A passionate storyteller, she has produced tourism films awarded at international film festivals, using visual narratives to highlight the people and places behind meaningful travel.

She has led several European projects dedicated to slow and regenerative tourism, including Immersive Sicily, Redefining Business Events which explores innovative, place-based approaches for the MICE sector.

Manila is also the founder of Sustainable Sicily, a platform that promotes responsible tourism practices and connects a growing network of local projects and communities that stand out for their creativity, authenticity, and regenerative impact.

Her latest initiative in Pantelleria reimagines business events as immersive, collaborative experiences that strengthen the connection among participants while engaging them deeply with the island’s culture, community, and natural rhythms. Through her work, Manila promotes a vision of tourism as a driver of regeneration, creativity, and meaningful connection year-round.

Deirdre Fulton is a founding partner at MIDAS Aviation, which was set up in 2015 to provide market intelligence, data and strategic advice to the aviation industry. Her expertise lies in providing meaningful market assessments and demand forecasts, underpinned by in-depth data analysis and strategic insights.

Deirdre is as fascinated by the aviation industry today as she was when she started out working in an airport almost 30 years ago.  Her role now allows her to work in some of the most dynamic aviation markets in the world, including India, Saudi Arabia and Central Asia and at the heart of this is understanding people’s motivations to travel and how the industry responds to that. She loves nothing more than talking to people in airports, or on planes about where they are going and why. 

As well as leading the team at MIDAS, she also works closely with OAG and hosts a regular webinar on their behalf, engaging with topical industry issues allowing her to embrace her inner #avgeek.

Tarek comes from an aerospace engineering background. He cofounded Murmuration in 2019 to provide measurable environmental indicators for sustainability in the tourism industry. Building on the wealth of satellite data and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, Murmuration delivers innovative tools to support destinations and private businesses to integrate the environment into their operational workflows. Murmuration has been recognized by leading institutions such as UNTourism which underlines its operational ability and value in supporting the transition of the tourism sector towards more sustainability. The team is based in Toulouse, France, and works with leading destinations and businesses across the globe.

Bridging the gap between academia and industry, Saverio stands out as one of the most distinguished rising talents in the European tourism scene. At just 25, he became the youngest keynote speaker at the Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS2023) in Seville and the youngest contributor to The Good Tourism Blog.

A quadrilingual Italian, Saverio quickly gained international recognition for his diverse content, innovative ideas, and thoughtful insights across the tourism spectrum. His extensive academic background has produced several highly cited papers published in Q1 journals—the highest ranking for scholarly manuscripts—leading to direct collaborations and discussions with prominent national tourism and political institutions. His in-depth analyses of tourism flows, infrastructure, and socio-economic development, based on two years of field research in the Faroe Islands, directly contributed to the formulation of the country’s 2030 National Tourism Plan.

Saverio’s recent interviews with key academic figures such as Dimitrios Buhalis and Valeria Minghetti, along with his work on the Faroe Islands, will also feature in the upcoming book Tourism Horizons: Travel for the Millions. Now based in Barcelona, Saverio applies his expertise in real estate and hospitality as Account Business Development Manager for VDB Luxury Properties, the city’s leading boutique service agency.

Through numerous collaborations, partnerships, and multi-million-dollar deals that enhance guest satisfaction and company profitability, Saverio embodies his core mantra: “customer obsession and quality over quantity.” These principles, first highlighted during his speech in Seville, emphasise the importance of product excellence and attention to detail over technological tools—a message that resonated deeply in a panel focused on tech trends. 

The continued growth of VDB Luxury Properties reflects how this boutique model successfully blends real estate with hospitality, redefining excellence in the sector. Do not miss Saverio at The Tourism Seasonality Summit 2026 in Rimini and discover the meaning of “Extended Capacity” as he shares his vision on tackling seasonality via collaboration, extended capacity management and sustainable development, illustrated with clear examples from his findings across Iceland and the Faroe Islands.