FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
As never before in the first months of the year, the country is full of tourists.
You can find them everywhere, in Tirana walking and eating in bars; in Kruja visiting the Museum; on the coast, from Velipoja to Saranda, enjoying the warm days; in the traditional cities of Gjirokastër and Berat, or in the Alps.
INSTAT data show that in the first two months of the year, the arrivals of foreign citizens have increased by 41%, compared to the same period a year ago.
There are many arguments for this boom in tourism, which actually came as a blessing to the country at a time when the economy was slowing down and consumption was shrinking as a result of the shrinking population.
The main factors remain the natural diversity in a small country and the low prices of both food accommodation and cheap plane tickets from the entry of low-cost operators.
The main profile of the mass tourist remains the backpacker, who tends to spend as little as possible, while there are those who are interested in the real estate market on the coast, but who remain inferior in number.
Based on summer bookings, operators expect growth rates to be similar to January-February in the coming months, even raising questions about whether we will be able to handle this influx, given the labor crisis that the country is passing, due to the acceleration of immigration rates.
The other big problem remains the infrastructure. If you travel on the Tirana-Durrës highway, the main artery that connects the whole country, the vehicle will come across potholes that keep coming and increasing. There is no maintenance.
The situation is becoming similar to a few years ago, when the road was allowed to deteriorate to a point where it could no longer hold, and its repair began on the eve of the tourist season, in May 2019, hampering transport and leaving travelers on the road for an extended time.
If the same thing happens this year, when the number of tourists is twice as high as in that period, the touristic image of the country would be seriously damaged.
Golem's secondary roads are still not finished, although they have been in the works for three years. If this year one-way movement will be implemented in them, the return traffic would be unmanageable, since no underpasses or overpasses have been made according to the plan.
The road to Kruja, to which thousands of tourists travel every day, is also unmaintained. Traffic from the North to the center is heavy at almost every hour of the day, but at least the new Thumane-Kashar segment is progressing.
And it is not that the government is not investing. However, its priority for the moment remains the South, where, in addition to the Llogora tunnel, other interventions are being made. It is very good that these investments are being made, as the South is an important tourist area, which the government is trying to turn into an elite model.
However, it is unacceptable to ignore the rest of the country, which expects as many, if not more, tourists, so that even minimal interventions, such as the filling of potholes, are not made.
In the end, even that elite tourist who can go to the South will pass from the Tirana-Durres highway, as long as the Vlora airport is not built yet.
It is indeed a project for the expansion of the Tirana Highway, but it will take years until it is completed. It's a shame to leave such a prime joint in such a state of disrepair.
The same thing happened with the segment that connected Shkozeti with Plepat, again the main node from where it goes to the South of the country, which was repaired after being left in a deplorable condition for two years.
The irony is that by focusing on elite tourism, Albania risks losing the ordinary one, which is dominant today.
While the country took years to become a favorite tourist destination, this position has yet to be consolidated and it takes very little to undo in a much shorter period of time.
This is not fair to either domestic tourists or commuters, who are, in fact, the taxpayers who fund the roads. It's a shame that local people's money is not being returned and they are being treated this way. Or the North, where the only investment at the moment is the refugee camp.../Monitor
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