"Ghost villages" of the coast/ How the "build and sell" model is killing 365-day tourism in Albania

2026-05-17 12:49:00, Aktualitet CNA

Coastal tourism in Albania is facing a profound crisis of vision, with large projects advertised as "strategic resorts" turning into mere residential neighborhoods and seasonal real estate complexes.

This model oriented towards quick profit through the mass sale of villas and apartments is stripping the coast of its primary function: the development of a sustainable tourism industry that generates income and employment throughout the 12 months of the year.

Unlike genuine investments in the Mediterranean, where resorts like Sani Resort in Greece, but also similar models in Montenegro and Croatia are built as "Mixed Use" destinations, in Albania the logic of concreting for residential purposes dominates. It is enough to see the announcements of real estate agencies or construction companies in the south of the country to understand that the sole focus is "selling villas and apartments".

Many of these complexes do not operate for tourism, but as private second cities for buyers, remaining closed and deserted for more than ten months of the year.

To have elite tourism, companies need to change their approach: they need to own a good portion of the assets and build proper 5-star hotels within the complexes. A real resort is not a block of bricks and mortar like those built in Tirana; it needs to have entertainment areas for children, daily activities, party and concert organizations, as well as special groups that give energy to the area both during and outside the season.

The main goal should be to extend the tourist season, so that it starts in April and ends at the end of October. If tourism lasts only from mid-June to the end of August, no company can cover its costs or keep employees with only 60 or 90 days of work per year.

To break this cycle, resorts should operate 365 days a year, offering packages and lower prices during the fall and winter, shows and activities that attract domestic tourists first and then regional ones. This would prevent these destinations from becoming a "forbidden apple" for the middle class or ordinary citizens.

Above all, year-round operation would create a powerful economic chain that connects tourism with local production. It is absurd for our resorts to serve tourists tomatoes or cucumbers imported from India and Turkey, when our country has the capacity to produce up to two times a season.

By connecting directly with local farms and agriculture to supply organic products, the resorts would keep people employed in the villages, increase local production and strengthen the national economy, while also curbing the exodus of young people from the country. /CNA