Albania is targeting high-end ecotourism as its focus.
Albania, a rapidly growing European travel destination, is shifting its focus from mass tourism to alternative tourism to differentiate itself from competitors, according to government officials. Despite being a small Balkan nation, Albania has become increasingly popular and exotic, attracting 7.5 million visitors last year, more than twice its population. The country has rebounded quickly from pandemic-related losses, and the short-haul destination’s incredible value for money is expected to drive further growth in the travel industry.
However, the Albanian minister of tourism and environment, Mirela Kumbaro, who was previously an academic, believes that the country’s future tourist strategy should not solely rely on a surge in arrivals. Instead, the government plans to diversify the sector, which is considered critical for Albania’s economic growth.
Albania is aiming to differentiate itself from its Mediterranean counterparts by moving away from the conventional model of sun and sea tourism and instead promoting itself as a top-quality destination for new markets. The government officials believe that their previous mistakes during the 1990s’ turbulent transition from Stalinist dictatorship to democracy have taught them valuable lessons. According to the Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, learning from mistakes is a natural part of the process.
The Albanian Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, recognizes the importance of maintaining a balance in her role. She values quality over quantity and aims to attract tourists who stay longer and visit throughout the year, rather than just seeking the typical three to four-night package beach holiday. Instead, the government plans to promote agritourism and ecotourism, leveraging Albania’s diverse landscape of mountains, forests, and coastline.
According to Kumbaro, promoting environmentally-friendly, responsible, and sustainable tourism is crucial. The government wants to avoid concentrating tourism in specific areas and instead focus on cultural heritage, gastronomy, hiking, rafting, and nature. There are many little farms in Albania that tourists can visit to experience all of these aspects.
Albania’s potential for agri- and ecotourism is unparalleled in its hinterland and northern Alpine region, which includes the Accursed Mountains. Efforts to promote this type of tourism have been supported by international development agencies to enrich areas that remain among the poorest in Europe. The 273km Vjosa river, described as Europe’s last wild river, has been recently in the spotlight as the prime minister pledged to turn the basin encompassing the river and its tributaries into a new national park, the first of its kind in Europe, to boost tourism.
Kumbaro plans to submit an application for the entire Vjosa basin to become a Unesco biosphere reserve in a move to revitalize villages through rural tourism. Albania’s unique natural beauty was allowed to thrive under the paranoid rule of Enver Hoxha, who ruled the country for over 40 years. Kumbaro, who lived much of her early life under this regime, remembers that tourism was allowed only for avowed Marxist-Leninists and strictly controlled by the state tourist agency Albturist, which was also controlled by the Sigurimi secret police.
During the era of Hoxha’s rule, tourists were subject to strict rules and regulations, including a ban on cameras, miniskirts, and beards. Male visitors were required to shave their chins at the border and have their hair cut if it was deemed too long. As the country gradually began to open up, bus trips from Athens to Tirana were introduced, mainly serving Greek tourists with relatives in minority communities in the south. However, visas were granted only after strict vetting. Once in Tirana, visitors would stay in unremarkable, Soviet-era hotels, where the staff would pass notes discreetly as they waited tables. Traveling further north into the impoverished highlands was prohibited as it was a dumping ground for political prisoners and the site of notorious hard labour camps. Kumbaro, who recalls that everything, including religion, was prohibited during Hoxha’s rule, believes that tourism is a form of emancipation that opens doors to others and is a wonderful thing.
