TIRANA, May 25 – Albanian tourist operators are getting ready for the start of the busy season, as worries mount that a combination of bad weather and local elections will hurt profit margins.
Scorching temperatures are expected this summer following an unusually cool spring, according to meteorologists.
In addition, the upcoming June 21 local elections are an obstacle because they have caused confusion among local authorities and have led to focus on short-term projects, experts said.
The central government has already said it will hire some 300 workers along the seaside to clean the area for the coming summer season.
But the local media continues to report on the presence of waste and other objects polluting the sea and the beaches.
A European Union monitoring barometer of the situation in the Albanian beaches said they met the basic cleanliness levels, although they were well below the conditions in neighboring EU members Greece and Croatia.
Authorities have been focusing this year to bring more foreign tourists from countries that are further away, as Albania relies almost totally on the ethnic brethren from Kosovo and Macedonia as well as Albanian migrants turning back home for vacation.
Authorities have also decided to scrap visas for a total of 13 countries worldwide, aiming to attract foreign tourists as the summer holidays season approaches.
