KORCA, April.10 – This winter season will be special in the area of Dardha in the Korca district. A new skiing facility (length 1.4 km, width 40 meters and 29 angle of slope) as well as an air transport vehicle to serve all the needs of winter tourists. Albanian ski fans and sport lovers will thus have a chance to experiment with the first skiing facility in the country which is expected to be fully operational in the winter of this year.
The project will be realized by the Austrian consortium “STRABAG SE which will cover the entire sum of the investment. Representatives of the company had done a visit to see the resort zone in September of 2006. The project has been specifically under the support of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Tourism. Operations for the construction are expected to start in April and finish in October. During this time the Albanian government and more specifically the local authorities of Korca have committed to offer all necessary assistance to the Austrian investors.
A significant assistance will be the increased commitment of the police to regulate the activity of the wood traders that has been real menace to the natural beauty of the local woods.
A dream comes true
The inhabitants of the area have nurtured a dream to foster winter tourism exploiting the natural resources, scenic views, old villages as well as the traditional hospitality. The area is also known for its special cuisine which features unconventional dishes that are not usual for the rest of the country such as mushrooms and snails. It also has a traditional kind of plum brandy. During the monarchy times, the sister of King Zog had made a habit to spend their winter holidays in the area because they loved the clean air and the nature of the zone.
Thus Dardha will be the first national ski resort. The area is expected to benefit from the economic development that tourism will bring. Hotels have started to improve their capacities and expand the offered services. A reconstruction of traditional houses, water outlets and pebbles stoned pavements according to historical patterns is one of the future investments that will give stimuli to tourists to make the most out of their experience in Dardha. Potential future investment sources can be the diaspora and the emigrants of the zone that mostly work in Greece. Expected visitors will be mostly form neighboring countries such as Italy, Greece and Macedonia.
Dardha village
The historical records of the village of Dardha start in 1600. Evidence is the several churches of the region which count as historical tourism attraction sites. The village is located 1344 meters above sea level and has regular snowfall during the winter season.
Strabag SE
One of the leading European construction companies received an award in London during the “8th Annual Euromoney Project Finance Awards” for the “European PPP Deal of the Year 2006”. Strabag and associated companies of the “DirectRoute”-consortium received this award for their street and tunnel project in the city of Limerick, located on the west coast of Ireland.
