The northern area of Albania with still unexploited tourist assets

2024-05-11 21:15:00, Kulturë CNA

The northern area of ??Albania with still unexploited tourist assets

Albania managed to attract a record number of tourists last year, of more than 10 million, while this year it aims to increase this number to around 15 million. As the correspondent of the Voice of America, Pëllumb Sulo, reports, experts in the field believe that the country still has a lot of unused tourist potential, especially in the mountainous area in the north of the country, but investments are needed to improve the road infrastructure, tourist signage, public services and security of the movement of tourists along the mountain paths.

Economy and tourism experts claim that Albania still has unused capacities in the field of tourism, to host an even greater number of tourists than last year, when a figure of more than 10 million visitors was recorded.

According to the professor of economics at the University of Shkodra, Gentian Mema, while the coastal area in the south of the country is moving rapidly towards fulfilling its touristic capacities, attention should be paid to the northern area, which has great touristic potential almost without utilized, especially in terms of mountain and cultural tourism, which, unlike coastal tourism, is year-round.

"Potential for development are already known areas such as Thethi, Vermoshi, Lëpusha. But Shkodra's Lake Shore and Velipoja in particular are destinations that have significant growth potential. But without neglecting destinations that, at the moment, are probably not very developed, but that have the opportunity to develop especially mountain tourism, where I can mention the area of ??Kelmendi", he says.

At this stage of tourism development, says Professor Mema, the state must play its role in enabling the development of the tourist business in these areas, through the provision of the necessary infrastructure, cleaning, public lighting and all other elements of necessary for sustainable tourism.

Among the tourist areas with high development potential in the tourism sector is the Municipality "Vau Dejës", a territory located between Shkodra, Puka and Tropoja. The specialist of the tourism sector in Vau Dejës Municipality, Entela Kolaj, says that it was the adventure tourists themselves who, for the first time, promoted this area in the world media.

"Lake Koman, Lake Vau te Deja and the river Shala no longer need to be promoted because not only foreign and domestic tourists, or the world media, are promoting us every day. What the Municipality of Vau Deja needs are investments. We need investments. Of course, the road is one of the outstanding problems. I have often described the 32 kilometers of road from Vau i Deja to Koman as a very worn out road", she says.

Two years ago, the government promised funding for the Koman road, a very important road not only for the tourism sector that is developing rapidly in this area, but also for the life and economy of the residents. However, the road continues to be outside any safety and routing parameters.

Experts state with concern that, in most of the tourist areas in the North of Albania, there is a lack of tourist signage as well as certified guides for the mountain trails.

In the Alps region, 6 accidents involving foreign tourists were registered last year, where one of them lost his life after slipping into an abyss. This concern was also raised in the meeting that the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, had in the last few days with the prefects of the country.

"We must prevent the movement of tourists without a guide, especially in the mountainous areas of the North. We have tourists who move without local guides and this costs us life and health, but there is also an economic cost, because we launch helicopters, launch machines. So, in a way, we put people's lives at risk", stated Mrs. Kumbaro.

The further development of tourism in the North of Albania faces many challenges, among which, waste management, uninterrupted electricity supply, improvement of the road infrastructure, but also the improvement of the security system, challenges that are difficult to face alone with the funds of small municipalities.

Therefore, according to the cultural heritage sector expert, Majlinda Laçaj, a strategic plan is required to precede the further development of the tourism sector.

"First, relevant institutions such as the Ministry of Tourism and Environment or other local institutions should have a strategic management plan in terms of managing situations of this level", she says.

The 2019-2023 tourism strategy has been in effect for months. Meanwhile, although it is the month of May, Albania still does not have the new tourism strategy for 2024-2030 ready.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, during the first months of this year, the number of visitors was 60 percent higher than that of the previous year, an indicator that testifies to the further development of the tourism sector. In the northern area of ??Albania, the most frequented tourist destinations are Valbona, Thethi, Vermoshi, Lëpusha, Boga and Razma./ VOA