Amid heatwave, tourism goes in full gear

TIRANA, July 2 – Hundreds of thousands of Albanians and also their brethren from Kosovo have started to widely use the Albanian shore, joined in smaller groups from foreign tourists.
Albania is still a virgin country to the international tourism fans and it very often attracts many of them to come and see this last tourist paradise in the continental Europe.
That is a good source of income for this tiny western Balkan country which very often shows it is still not fully prepared for that.
It is good that roads taking to the tourist areas along the shore are much better now. But not all of them. And strangely enough the work to rehabilitate many segments over there starts exactly ahead of the tourist season.
The next concerning problems is drinking water that lacks in many areas, despite government efforts with many projects to build new systems or renovate old ones, with often the international assistance for many of them.
What this country should do more to bring it into the real world map of tourism is public awareness, advertisement, introduce itself in the international arena.
The government has understood that as it is expressed often especially by Prime Minister Sali Berisha in his presence at different meetings or international conventions. But not much is made by the proper authorities to promote that.
Not many in the world know about its good shore areas in southwest, or its ancient sites all over the country.
Berisha has made many calls in the last months on the local authorities to clean the tourist areas, on central authorities to provide good assistance and work on the other issues they cover.
He has also said, and hailed, a documentary film produced by Hollywood actress Eliza Dushku, who is of Albanian origin. The documentary he said should be promoted and also exploited to give a view of the country to the world.
Dushku’s documentary is a journey she is taking in a search to better understand her history. Dushku, whose father is Albanian, undertook a sojourn, with her brother and others, back to her ancestral homeland. It’s a very American urge, to escape what sometimes seems a rootless society in search of something more ancient to better explain what’s in us. Based on the trailer, the film seems more personal diary. Sometimes it’s fun to follow along a familiar personality on a journey of discovery.
What Albanians should do more is to really exploit the situation as well. Due to the crisis in the world, and especially in their neighboring Greece and nearby Italy they may attract more foreigners to come here. But that is not done with higher prices. That needs lower prices and a very much higher service to the tourists.