Dr. Ilona Miklós
Founder – We Love Saranda and Wandergirlwalk
Food Writer, Researcher, Lecture
With previous experience in public catering as a food and beverage buyer, and as a professional writer in print and online media, Dr. Miklós Ilona turned to academia and education in 2014. Her PhD thesis was based on research findings from the study of regions with geographical indicators (Gis) and sustainable purchasing behaviour.
In 2016, she participated as a facilitator in the mapping and development of an implementation plan for the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact stakeholders in Budapest.
Since 2017, Dr Miklós has been teaching food literacy and regional relations in regional marketing courses in Budapest and as an invited lecturer in Hungarian and English. Her research interests are the relationship between place, sustainable hospitality and the development of related services, and changing consumer trends. She has published in both Hungarian and English.
In 2020, as a coach in an Interreg project, she participated in the mapping of opportunities for women-led social enterprises in disadvantaged regions of Hungary.
She was awarded a scholarship to the HEC Design Strategy in Paris and fellowships in Valencia (Spain) and Belgrade (Serbia) as a food innovator within Climate KIC, where she studied the life cycle of GI products from farm to fork.
In 2021, her personal curiosity led her to return to a more practical field of research in Albania investigating ways to promote the diversity of tourism in Albania and integrate the southern regions into international tourism.
Her aim is to promote the unique biodiversity of the southern regions of Albania through multifaceted educational information and to initiate intercultural dialogue between national and international tourists and local female entrepreneurs. She does this by presenting the specific food production and traditions of the landscapes of each region, and helping to integrate them into slow tourism and the network of creative regions. She loves sharing tips for food, wine and travel through writing, photos and tours. Since 2024, she has contributed her expertise as an IGCAT Expert.
12 December 2024
