[AL] Lajme dhe Zhvillime nga Turizmi | Tourism News And Developments

[olsib]

Shpresojme qe te mbyllin edhe ndonje punim nderkohe...

Psh... autostraden Lushnje-Fier! ... Vlore!

[Pirro]

Kurrioziteti per ish diktatorin terrheq turistet..
http://www.balkanweb.com/gazetav4/index.php?id=36178

[iLiR]

SETimes
Published on SETimes (http://www.setimes.com)
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setime...2/reportage-01
The ups and downs of Albanian tourism

12/05/2008

Dubbed "Europe's last secret", Albania offers visitors the promise of great hospitality and cuisine -- and not-so-great roads.

By Manjola Hala for Southeast European Times in Tirana – 12/05/08

As summer approaches, Albanians have good reason for optimism concerning the country's emerging tourism industry. Not only has the sector experienced continuous growth, but the government and industry leaders have been working to develop a unified strategy.
Despite these positive signs, some key problems still must be overcome. In particular, visitors may still be deterred by inadequate transportation infrastructure and the state of Albanian hotels.
Authorities speak in glowing terms about the country's potential. "Tourism holds a key position in ensuring the country's success," says Tourism Minister Ylli Pango. "Within this framework, we are working to have a specific regional model that aims to make Albanian tourism a leading force and contribute towards understanding among cultures, races, religions and civilizations."
Those are lofty goals, and it may take many years to achieve them. Nevertheless, visitors are indeed coming at an ever faster pace. According to official statistics, the country attracted 2,100,000 tourists last year -- 19% more than in 2006 and 46% more than 2005.
Adventure and mountain tourism is the biggest draw, followed by cultural and heritage tourism and finally sand and sea tourism, according to the data. This may seem unusual for a small country with a lot of coastline -- up to 362km, much of it unspoiled beach. One reason, according to Kristi Andoni, is the oversaturated regional market; people have an enormous array of choices when they want a week in the sun.
Andoni, an advisor at the tourism, culture and sport ministry, also points out that demand for the first two types of tourism is on the rise. Moreover, they allow for a year-round tourism season instead of one concentrated on the summer months. "Albania has multiple and unique opportunities to distinguish itself from its neighbours," he says.

Although third on the list, sand and sea tourism still has great significance, especially for ethnic Albanians coming from Kosovo, Macedonia or around the world. For these groups, Albania is a preferred destination for summer holidays, and that usually means the beach.
"Further development of tourism in our country is a fact," Andoni declares. The country, he points out, has great natural potential, as well as a wide range of historical and cultural attractions of interest to foreign visitors. Albania is becoming safer, and it also has a certain mystique as a relatively unknown part of Europe. During the decades of communist rule, it was practically sealed off.
Albania's first official tourism strategy was drafted in 2004, with the assistance of the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ). This strategy aimed to market Albania as "Europe's Last Secret". As visitor numbers picked up, the Albanian government switched to a new slogan: Albania -- Yours to Discover. It decided to focus on the theme of generosity as a core historical and cultural virtue of the Albanian people.
In terms of cultural monuments per capita, Albania may well be the richest country in Europe. The ministry has sought to highlight this fact, increasing the appeal to an older demographic.
Albania is certainly a memorable place to visit. Travellers often leave with good impressions about cultural heritage, natural scenery, the warmth of the people and especially the food.
At the same time, though, they are also apt to remember the poor state of many roads and the less than stellar hotels.

"To a Japanese tourist, it seems nonsensical that it takes 11 hours to travel from Ohrid to Sarande, a distance of only 353km, when it should not take more than 4 hours," says Stavri Cifligu, product manager at Albania Experience.
According to Andoni, meanwhile, "the biggest challenge is to keep the surroundings clean" and to make society understand the importance of this and to co-operate. At the institutional level, a short-term solution consists of working with communities and schools to boost awareness. For the long run, the ministry is drawing up a strategy.
Another problem to be addressed is the improvement and diversification of the services provided to tourists. "We have found a solution for our tourists by highlighting those few places that are able to offer good-quality services, but if a tourist visits the country independently he will feel the existence of this gap," Cifligu says.
Officials say earlier problems related to water and electricity shortages have been addressed for the 2008 season. Meanwhile, the environment ministry is monitoring the safety of the beaches. In its latest report, the ministry found that 11 out of 72 beaches do not meet the standards. It is advising people to stay far away from them.
The government has designated 2008 as the year of tourism, a move that could spur further increases in the number of visitors. Special efforts are being made to promote the country's potential. For the first time, an expected audience of 340m will be able to see via CNN what Albania can offer.
Today, Cifligu says, "Albanian tourism" and "growth" are synonymous. But only further improvements, together with diversification of services, will allow the country to move past the obstacles this sector could face in the long run.

[Kapedani]

went to Divjake about 5 years ago. We went to this restaurant called "Ali Kali" it was amazing they caught the fish in a tank that they held in the restaurant in front of you and delivered with a horse. There was no hotels near the beach, a lot of trees, the sand was pretty nice but the water was not deep at all, but it was the warmest water i have been in my life. The water was warmer than the outside, although it wasn't CLEAN (naturally clean, not like the beaches in the south obviously). It wasn't taken care of when i went to be honest.

My father said that the sand in Divjake is used for medical purposes cause it has a lot "jod" it, i dont know exactly what that is but it's supposed to be good for you.

Divjake still has very little hotels and development which I think is a good thing...I think they will keep it that way as an escape from those who don't want the overcrouded Durres.

Divjak has one problem though...the sand and water are naturally very very dirty...from all the seaweed that builds up. All along the shore there are strips of seaweed that accumulate on the sand, and in the water too is covered in weeds. Crabs are also a problem...the bottom is chocked full of crabs (which will bite you!) and dead crabs are allover the beach you can't walk without steping on some dead crabs. There's not much you can do about nature though...But I'm guessing some more cottage-type resorts will be build around there in the future...and they can clean the beaches from the weed every morning.

And you'r right...the water is ridiculously warm! Its like going into a hot-water tub

"jod" is Iodine...unless you eat it...I don't know if it has any other benefit for you Don't eat the sand BTW...

[vari k.]

Lol i didn't mean eat the sand, it's good for your skin, the sand is good for you. And yea you're right about everything else, it was somewhat dirty for strange reasons, not many people going there either but the water was amazing temperature

[SADOSI]

Nick Easen
www.guardian.co.uk,
Thursday May 22 2008

The unspoilt Albanian Riviera is a snapshot of the Mediterranean as it used
to be - idyllic beaches, glorious sunshine and an unhurried pace of life, says Nick Easen


Taking it easy ... a local strolls along Vlora Beach on the Albanian Riviera. Photograph: Nick Easen

The state of the road heading in is the main reason the Albanian Riviera has escaped large-scale tourist development. That and land ownership. The road's upgrade, with help from the World Bank, is the first major overhaul since the Italian Army built it in the 1940s. It is seen as a local vote winner for a population that is close enough to Corfu to know what tourism can bring.



Countless bays cut into the coast.

The cliché that this 130km stretch of coastline is one of the last untarnished parts of the Mediterranean with deserted beaches is not lost on the deputy mayor of the sleepy seaside town of Himara. "Nature is the most important thing here, as well as the connection between the mountains and the sea," Stefo Mato says, referring to the high karst mountains that kick their feet in the sandy shoreline. "But service for tourists needs to get better. There must be more things to do here."


Llogora Pass between the Cika mountains and the Ionian Sea.

Then again, this is precisely why Albania's Ionian coast is worth visiting now, before the parasols arrive and the jet skis drown out the cricket song. Any intrepid traveller to the region should head straight to the top of the Llogora Pass with views of the Cika mountains plunging 910 metres into the sea. The spectacle encapsulates the real "Mediterranean as it once was". Pine trees interspersed with old stone farmhouses and citrus trees are all that interrupt the view.

In this coastal region inward investment, especially from overseas, is only beginning to trickle in. Land rights still remain an issue especially where the best beaches are located. And the Albanian authorities are still in the process of handing back property to owners from the pre-Communist era. Bogus title deeds and disputes over ownership have also stymied growth.

Endless curves of sand, remote Orthodox monasteries, small family-run guesthouses and roadside cafes with fresh trout on the grill are more prevalent than gaudy ice-cream boxes and adverts for suntan lotion. The only noticeable hoardings are the scarecrow dolls that hang above doorways to ward away the evil eye – this includes the unfinished hotels in Saranda.


An apiarist sells his wares.

You are more likely to chance upon old women in headscarves and long skirts ushering goats through the fragrant maquis than bronzed tourists. And interaction with locals is more likely to involve buying honey with roadside apiarists, since the bees here have more wild flower species to choose from than anywhere else in Europe.

The only tell-tale signs of old order Albania are the deserted collective farms of the Communist era and the concrete bunkers. The country has a grey "mushroom" for every four people. Hundreds of thousands dot the landscape thanks to Enver Hoxha, the long- term Stalinist dictator who was paranoid of invasion from the west.


One of Hoxha's submarine bases on the Riviera.

Albanians are now using them in novel ways that tourists can experience. You can have a seafood supper under a concrete dome in Restaurant Bunkere on the seafront at Durres; on the road to Vlora, artists have painted their roofs in psychedelic designs. According to legend, the designer was placed in a prototype, which was subsequently blasted by a tank. The bunker survived, as did its shell-shocked architect – mass production began. Nowadays, it costs at least £5,000 to get rid of one of these pillboxes.

"Many Albanians lose their virginity in the bunkers, when they are not being used for sheep or cattle," says Raimonda Nelku, a development worker with USAID. "They are in the Albanian psyche."

Saranda has the reputation of being one of the sunniest spots in Europe with more than 290 days of rays a year and midsummer temperatures around 30C. At present southern Albania's biggest town looks only partially built with half-constructed apartments and hotels scrambling up the hillside. Much of the activity is being generated by Albanians working abroad and sending money back home.


Looking across the bay at Saranda.

Here palm trees flank the promenade shading elderly men as they sip their espressos, unhurried by the daily tourist influx. Many of whom are Brits, coming over on day trips from Corfu. Now they are being encouraged to stay longer.

A major attraction, which even Greek operators are touting, is Butrint, which sits on a cliff top overlooking the Greek island a few miles south of town. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a 2,500-year-old layer cake that includes a Greek colony, a Roman city and a Byzantine bishopric. This is ranked as the biggest of its kind, second only to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

The fact is only 15% of Butrint has been uncovered, but then that's indicative of the country as a whole, according to Nelku, Mato and others. They hope that Albania will become "a new Mediterranean love", according to the country's new international TV ads.


The glassy waters of the Ionian Sea.

Getting there

British Airways flies from London, Gatwick to Tirana's Mother Teresa Airport in under three hours from £200 in June.

Where to stay

Hotel Butrinti, Saranda: A modern five-star hotel on the beachfront, with great balcony views across the bay to Corfu. Check out the swimming pool with its Greek columns. £64 - 110 per room per night.

Llogora Tourist Village: An amazing hotel cradled in the pine forests at 1,200 metres, with grazing deer in the actual grounds. There are wooden chalets, an indoor pool and great artwork.. £56 - 100 per room per night, includes breakfast.

Hotel New York, Vlora: Worth it just to see the mad mosaic of the Statue of Liberty in the restaurant. Away from the downtown noise on the seafront, but still within walking distance of the cafes and beach. £40 - £100 including breakfast.

[AltinD]

What kind of prices are they charging?


No surprise charter planes after charter planes full of Albanians fly daily to Turkey's coast in the summer.

[SADOSI]

Berati, Albania -- Pulling down the statues of Albania's real-life Dr. Evil, Enver Hoxha, was easy. Deleting his name from the mountain above town wasn't.

The despotic crackpot who ruled this odd little country for four decades had his first name burned into the mountainside above Berati with acid, in letters 50 feet high. They're going to be there a long time.

This is the kind of monumental weirdness for which Europe's most misunderstood nation is renowned. It's unquestionably a strange place, but it's also the most fascinating, least globalized - and, not incidentally, most affordable - corner of what is increasingly becoming an off-the-rack, one-size-fits-all Europe.

I experienced all of Albania's oddness, as well as its unique charms, in the mountain town of Berati - after I got my arm back from the bear.

The newest hotel in town featured a caged bear, which after a week in Albania really didn't seem that strange. I made the mistake of getting too close to the cage, and the bear quickly extended his claws and grabbed my arm. With my forearm trapped between paws, he opened his mouth ... and licked me.

Bruno was a friendly orphan cub saved after Gypsies killed his mother in the mountains above town. As is typical in Albania, it seemed random and a bit scary at first, but actually turned out to be pleasant and make a lot of sense. Bruno set the tone for my stay in Berati.

Like all of Albania, Berati stands in the literal and cultural crossroads of Greek, Ottoman and Western European cultures. Known as the City of a Thousand Windows, for its tiered rows of glassed 19th century homes, it offers a peek into Albania's past, present and future.

The town's past can be seen in a visit to the huge medieval citadel looming 800 feet up a mountain above town. A steep climb up cobblestone streets and past the castle walls reveals the first surprise: People are still living in the 13th century complex, 150 families scattered in various buildings atop the plateau.

Old women camp out on the grounds selling lace to the occasional tourist. The museum housing Eastern Orthodox church icons from the 16th century is jammed full of items, despite the guide's claim that 70 percent of the articles in Albania's National Museum in Tirana, the capital, were stolen from Berati.

Every corner of the citadel complex hid another surprise. I nearly bumped into a bride in her gown as she climbed a grassy hill to reach her wedding in one of the eight churches on the grounds. Behind the church, a large turkey strutted atop a 20-foot stone wall like he owned the place.

Between stone homes I saw a brief vision from a macabre fairy tale: A poor soul suffering from gigantism struggled up the street, his misshapen legs dragging along the cobblestone; his gigantic head turned slowly toward me, giving me a glance of primal pain.

Past the homes, a giant red mosque stands proudly as a symbol of Albania's history of religious tolerance. Many Albanian cities still have mosques and Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches in the same neighborhoods. Most citizens say they are Albanians above all, with religion taking second billing. Even during its Nazi occupation in World War II, Albania provided safe haven for Jews; today it is becoming the world headquarters for the mystic Muslim sect of Bektashi.
Paranoia and tyranny

But not all of Albania's past is so harmonious. A peek over Berati's citadel walls away from the historical section of town reveals a crumbling complex of Stalinist-era concrete apartment blocks.

From 1945 to 1985, Albania suffered through perhaps the world's most repressive regime, led by Enver Hoxha, a paranoid tyrant who closed the borders, stripped all rights from citizens, banned private vehicles and constructed tens of thousands of concrete bunkers to protect the country from imagined invaders.

Just beyond the mosque, I saw workers painstakingly restoring a church, its frescoes covered by whitewash sprayed during Hoxha's Chinese-inspired Cultural Revolution of 1967, which banned all religion in the country. Hoxha's minions executed priests and turned churches and mosques into movie theaters and basketball courts, or just tore them down. Berati benefited by being declared a "museum town," but still endured the whitewashing.

As I leaned against my car and pondered the past of Albania, I was in for one more surprise: My guide slammed the door on my thumb, nearly breaking it.

Looking for some comfort back in present-day Albania, I stopped in one of the many Turkish coffee shops in town, typical in its all-male clientele chatting in midday leisure, alternating smokes with sips from tiny coffee cups.

For a meal in the neighborhood, I could have chosen a Greek salad, some German schnitzel or some Middle Eastern kebobs. Closer to the coast, Italian pizza would be added to the menus, just another ingredient in Albania's melange of cultures.

The Ottoman conquest left its mark not only in coffee and kebobs, but in the architecture and way of life. A visit to Berati's Ethnological Museum gave another glimpse into that past. A traditional Ottoman wooden home from the 19th century, it had a latticework of wood covering the walls, recalling the lace of the ladies of the castle. And I learned that the wood designs on the walls of the home concealed the balconies from which female family members had to watch the men-folk receiving guests in the front room.

The tough leather clothes and crude tools in the museum spoke to the rough lives of traditional villagers in the mountains of Albania. It also brought to mind the blood feuds for which Albania is infamous. In a Balkan version of the Hatfields versus the McCoys, families would try to exterminate each other for generations over the slightest insult to honor or pride. I wondered if getting one's thumb smashed in a door qualified as a feud-starter.

Outside, kids kicked soccer balls down the street, while adults spoke of the football feud to the south, a European qualifier against arch-rival Greece.

A couple of toughs stood on a corner, cranking music out of a late-model BMW, gold chains around their necks, a symbol of the recent influx of money to the country. Like most Albanian towns, Berati has a Western Union office where locals visit to pick up remittances from relatives working abroad.

Also coming from abroad was that night's featured entertainment in Berati: Bulgaria's hottest pop singing sensation, a mustachioed dude who, in the posters and billboard at least, looked like an overweight version of Borat.
Albanian eco-tourism

Rather than a late night of Bulgarian sing-alongs, I decided to rest up for a journey into the mountains the next day. Berati also represents the future of Albania: eco-tourism. Companies are beginning to offer hiking and camping expeditions among the jagged peaks and remote highlands of central Albania.

My journey involved some river rafting, an ad hoc venture created by the Castle Park hotel owner and some friends with a boat, a couple of paddles and a new river permit.

On our drive deep into the mountains, we passed a series of car washes, or lavazh, lining the road, perhaps demonstrating the pride Albanians have in their relatively new right to own and drive cars.

Also speaking to this new activity are the hundreds of memorial plaques that stand by roads across the country as markers of fatal auto accidents. As we got deeper into the mountains, the Mercedes and Audis of the capital gave way to donkey-pulled carts and impossibly jury-rigged vehicles that looked like they were scavenged from the sets of either "Mad Max" or "The Grapes of Wrath."

We drove a road that had been restricted under the Hoxha regime, because it led past military barracks and a crumbing but still impressive factory that had produced thousands of AK-47s through the 1970s. Or did it? Rumor had it that the actual factory was buried deep beneath the mountain, and the entire above-ground complex was an empty shell built by the paranoid Hoxha to trick the enemy.

After passing this eerie ghost town I was surprised to see, out of the corner of my eye, a doll crucified on the metal crossbars of a concrete pillar. The next half-finished building had a stuffed elephant impaled on a 6-inch bolt in a wall. The grisly scenes continued with a massacre of teddy bears, Barbies and a few Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all offered like sacrifices atop construction projects. I was told this was for luck, but never did find out why.

We passed small farming villages, where old men and women in black smocks and white kerchiefs walked through fields harvesting wheat with scythes as their ancestors did for hundreds of years. I imagined they looked at our Land Rover with the bright orange raft on top and thought it just another passing fad, like the factories, the castles, communism, capitalism and all those religions competing for attention. Our passing didn't make a ripple in the steady rhythm of the farm.

It was the height of summer, so the river also didn't have much in the way of ripples when we arrived. We looked up from the riverbed to 500-foot cliffs on either side, reminiscent of Utah's Zion National Park. The banks of the river were pristine sand, a pleasant change from the garbage-strewn streets in many parts of Albania.

We launched down the river for a relaxing half-day float, seeing not a single other person during that time. We passed waterfalls, secluded shorelines, hidden caves and small fish traps made by hidden anglers.

It felt like riding through the Grand Canyon 100 years ago, before anyone had thought to make it a tourist destination. It was only when our trip ended in the lowlands that we saw a group of kids leaping 30 feet from rocks into the water, locals enjoying a hot summer day.
Evening promenade

Back in the town of Berati, other locals cooled off the way they knew best: an evening promenade through town. Young and old couples held hands as they walked along the Osuma River, crossing either the new suspension bridge or the old stone model to walk on the edge of the woods. Like the farmers, they've seen change, but keep to those old habits that seem to work.

At the hotel we watched a rafting video on a fancy new big movie screen in the courtyard. We gorged on a monumental Albanian spread of meats, yogurts, salads and pastries.

A large German shepherd walking the grounds sniffed the food, eyed the rabbits in an enclosure and trotted toward us, unwittingly coming within range of Bruno, the bear in the cage. With a quick one-two paw-punch, Bruno interjected one last surprise into the day in Berati.

Five cool things about Albania

1 Bunkers, bunkers, bunkers: Albania still has tens of thousands of concrete bunkers sprouting like mushrooms across the country, remnants from the Cold War. Some have been uprooted, some painted with cheery murals and a few have been even been turned into bars.

2 God bless America: Due to the U.S. support of neighboring Kosovo and its ethnic Albanian population against the Serbs, Americans are quite popular in Albania. U.S. flags hang from shops and houses, and people on the street shake your hand and thank you. It's always nice not to have to pretend you're Canadian.

3 No means no - unless it means yes: Traditionally, Albanians shake their head side to side to signify agreement, which makes it look like they're telling you "no" when they mean "yes." But some Albanians have changed to do it like we do, so you're never sure what's going on. Which may not be cool, but it is amusing.

4 Dr. Evil's beaches: While the Albanian beach towns of Durres and Sarande are overdeveloped weekend spots, much of Albania's coastline used to be off limits because of military camps during the regime of Enver Hoxha, known as Albania's Dr. Evil. Now they just have mile after mile of uninhabited white-sand beaches. Club Med is in talks to develop a former submarine base into a resort.

5 King Zog: Cool only for his name. Born Ahmet Zogu, he was a clan chief who declared himself king of Albania in 1928 and ruled until the Italians annexed the country in 1939. He died in 1961 and Queen Zog died in 2002, but their grandson was chosen to be part of the Cabinet in 2007.

- Bill Fink

If you go
COSTS

Albania is not part of the EU; its currency is the lek, about 84 to the dollar, with a beer in a non-touristy bar (my standard measure of purchasing power parity) being about $1. A three-star hotel will typically cost about $50, with plenty of decent low-end lodging available for $20 a night. High-end tourist restaurants can cost $30 per person, while a meal at a local restaurant costs around $10, and streetside kebobs can be bought for a couple of bucks.

GETTING THERE

Visitors typically fly into the capital of Tirana, with many connections coming through Rome, Milan and Munich. A flight from Rome to Tirana was recently quoted at about $330.

GETTING IN

No visa is required for American citizens to enter the country for stays of up to 90 days.

GETTING AROUND

Berati is about a 3-hour drive from Tirana. Hiring a car and driver could be the best option for day trips, while taxis are cheap within towns. Hertz and Avis rental cars are available in Tirana. Public transport can be difficult to decipher, but I did see some backpackers getting around on the extremely cheap inter- and intra-city bus and van routes.

WHERE TO STAY

Castle Park Hotel is a newer hotel on a hilltop overlooking Berati. Detached cottages, random animal menagerie and large indoor/outdoor restaurant. Friendly family staff. 011-355-323-5385. $30-$40 a night.

Hotel Tomi / Mangalem is a popular, small family-run hotel in a restored traditional home. Restaurant attached, with fine home cooking. 011-355-323-20-93 $30-$40 a night.

Neither hotel has a Web site, but either can be booked through www.albania-hotel.com or www.hostelworld.com.

WORD TO THE WISE

Albanians speak Albanian, but many also speak English, Italian, Greek and/or German. It's fairly easy to get around using English, but don't expect many menus, signs or museum displays to be in English.

[SADOSI]

Rafting near a waterfall on the Osuma River



Bruno, a cub orphaned after Gypsies killed his mother in the mountains above town, is kept at the city's newest hotel.


Children make their way to school in Berati.


Traditional ways of life and transporting goods, above, are still practiced near Berati


The Red Mosque in the citadel above the 13th century city.

[Kapedani]

Hehe foreign articles about Albania are always funny about how stupid they are.

Could somone tell me when did we ever shake our head sideways to mean yes??

Also when did a 13th century church in Berat become called "the red mosque"??

--------------

What kind of prices are they charging?


No surprise charter planes after charter planes full of Albanians fly daily to Turkey's coast in the summer.

Well those prices are only for Hotel Butriniti...its not like there aren't 100 other hotels in Saranda to chose from at much lower prices.

[daalbo]

Originally Posted by Kapedani

Could somone tell me when did we ever shake our head sideways to mean yes??

Actually it's true. We used to do it a lot more in the past and as the article says now it's less prevalent. Nodding your head (together with closing your eyes) to mean NO, is even more common I think. In the early 90s, I remember when we had some Maltese family friends and one of the things that used to surprise them was the reverse nodding/shaking of the head.

--------------

Originally Posted by Kapedani

Well those prices are only for Hotel Butriniti...its not like there aren't 100 other hotels in Saranda to chose from at much lower prices.

True. I do believe that going to vacation in Albania is overall cheaper but not when you compare apples to apples. They get more buck for the money in Turkey. People cannot get the same level of hotels and service in Albania for what they pay in Turkey.

[7t]

Originally Posted by SADOSI

Rafting near a waterfall on the Osuma River
http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/20..._498511169.jpg

Osum not Osuma

[SADOSI]

Originally Posted by 7t

Osum not Osuma

I thought that sounded strange. Americans, brainwashed by FOX news all they here is Osama Osama Osama..

[7t]

"O suma" means something entirely different in albanian

[AltinD]

Originally Posted by daalbo

True. I do believe that going to vacation in Albania is overall cheaper but not when you compare apples to apples. They get more buck for the money in Turkey. People cannot get the same level of hotels and service in Albania for what they pay in Turkey.

That's what I meant.

[SADOSI]

Well it's better to market yourself to upscale tourists rather than to come across as low budget travel destination.

Because a rich person would not want to go to a budget destination, while a poor person will always want to visit an upscale tourist destination. If you just advertise yourself to the middleclass you lose the upper market people but this way they can get the best of both worlds. Obviously rich people spend more cash too.

Now, Albania being Albania is a little ruff around the edges and may have difficulty pulling such a strategy off but never the less, they should try.

[Kapedani]

Actually it's true. We used to do it a lot more in the past and as the article says now it's less prevalent. Nodding your head (together with closing your eyes) to mean NO, is even more common I think. In the early 90s, I remember when we had some Maltese family friends and one of the things that used to surprise them was the reverse nodding/shaking of the head.

I don't know I'v never done that...

[AltinD]

Originally Posted by SADOSI

Well it's better to market yourself to upscale tourists rather than to come across as low budget travel destination.

Because a rich person would not want to go to a budget destination, while a poor person will always want to visit an upscale tourist destination. If you just advertise yourself to the middleclass you lose the upper market people but this way they can get the best of both worlds. Obviously rich people spend more cash too.

Now, Albania being Albania is a little ruff around the edges and may have difficulty pulling such a strategy off but never the less, they should try.

Yeah but if you don't deliver what you market, those more spending rich people will not return anymore and will make sure that anybody else get the message.

Albania can't market itself as high end destination, not before 2 decades at least.

[olsib]

The beaches are clean in Albania. And they're almost empty!

Clear seas, rooms with views, even a lost city to explore. How long till the hordes reach Albania, asks Marcus Tanner

Sunday, 15 June 2008



I never meant to go to Albania. Who would after reading Paul Theroux's apocalyptic account of a trip to Vlore in The Pillars of Hercules? The idea was a sunny week in Corfu. But Corfu and I didn't connect, so after two days I checked out of my hotel and wheeled my suitcase to the port.

...

Per me shume: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...ty-847255.html

[olsib]

A week on the Albanian riviera followed by golf on the moon…

Published Date: 15 June 2008
By Marc Horne

GLENEAGLES will open a golf course in outer space, Albania will become Europe's trendiest beach resort, and Scotland will be the world leader in gastronomic excellence.

These scenarios might sound like a far-fetched Doctor Who plot, but they are genuine predictions for the future, made by one of the world's leading tourism experts.

...

Per me shume: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/A-...the.4186880.jp