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| Photo credits: Edi Vata |
Turizëm përtej plazhit në Shqipëri
Njerëzit e kësaj industrie në Shqipëri besojnë se ka potencial të madh për të zgjeruar llojet e turizmit që ofrohen dhe të përzgjedhin alternativa të tjera veç paketave të pushimeve tradicionale.
"Numri më i madh i turistëve vijnë për bregdetin dhe janë kryesisht turistë nga Evropa Lindore, por edhe Kosova dhe Maqedonia", thotë Alma Gerxhani nga ‘Manderina”, kompania e Marketingut dhe PR që ka krijuar portalin www.visit-tirana.com
"Edhe pse ka patur gjithmonë grupe udhëtarësh perëndimorë të interesuar për turizmin kulturor - ata që vizitojnë vendet e UNESCO të Shqipërisë - sërish shifrat janë ende të vogla", shton ajo.
Dy bashkë-themelueset e Manderina, Alma Gërxhani dhe Eva Kushova kane listuar te portali Visit Tirana, potencialet për turizmin në Tiranë, duke shtuar turizmin e aventurës, udhëtimet në natyrë, alpinizëm, ecje, ture me biçikleta, hipizëm dhe llojet e tjera të argëtimeve.
Që nga rënia e komunizmit, thotë znj Gërxhani, bordi turistik dhe operatorët turistikë zgjodhën opsionin më të lehtë të marketingut turistik: "plazhet jugore që duken si Greqia, por janë më të lira". Ka pasur një përpjekje për të bërë këtë lidhje dhe referencë me plazhe ku njerëzit ndjehen shumë të sigurt kur shkojnë në pushime. Por unë do të theksoja më shumë përvojat lokale, do të doja të theksoheshin mundësite që pushimet të shtriheshin përtej plazheve tek qytetet UNESCO dhe zonat rurale. Kjo do të ishte shumë më e dobishme për komunitetet lokale, "thotë ajo.
Që nga rënia e komunizmit, thotë znj Gërxhani, bordi turistik dhe operatorët turistikë zgjodhën opsionin më të lehtë të marketingut turistik: "plazhet jugore që duken si Greqia, por janë më të lira". Ka pasur një përpjekje për të bërë këtë lidhje dhe referencë me plazhe ku njerëzit ndjehen shumë të sigurt kur shkojnë në pushime. Por unë do të theksoja më shumë përvojat lokale, do të doja të theksoheshin mundësite që pushimet të shtriheshin përtej plazheve tek qytetet UNESCO dhe zonat rurale. Kjo do të ishte shumë më e dobishme për komunitetet lokale, "thotë ajo.
Themeluesit e Manderinës thonë se në kryeqytetin shqiptar nuk kishte pothuajse asnjë informacion në gjuhën angleze për turizmin në Tiranë, kështu që ata filluan portalin e Visit Tirana, duke ndjekur modelet e vendeve të suksesshme për qytete si Kopenhagen. Kjo u bë krejtësisht me iniciativën e tyre dhe më vonë tërhoqi vëmendjen e kryetarit të Bashkisë së Tiranës, Erion Veliaj, i cili përshëndeti ekipin e Manderinës për promovimin e qytetit, duke u shprehur se "shpeshherë Visit Tirana e bën më mirë këtë promovim, sesa disa prej nesh në Bashki që janë të ngarkuar për ta bërë këtë punë!"
Plani tani është që ky vizion të zgjerohet në të gjithë Shqipërinë. E pyetur se përse njerëzit duhet të vizitojnë Shqipërinë, znj Gërxhani rendit disa arsye: "Natyra është e bukur, kultura e pasur, ne jemi shumë të lashtë, kemi qenë këtu prej shumë kohësh, gjuha jonë është një nga më të vjetrat në botë. Njerëzit janë një nga pasuritë tona më të mëdha, shumë mikpritës, mikpritje të vërtetë, ketu turistët nuk konsiderohen si klient, por si miq. Banorët lokale edhe nëse nuk kanë shumë për të ofruar, përsëri mundohen të ofrojnë diçka "
Znj. Eva Kushova ofron një perspektivë shtesë: "Tani Tirana ka tjetër liri, tjetër frymë, një atmosferë ndryshe vecanërisht me gjallërinë e të rinjë. Qyteti është plot me njerëz që e shijojnë jetën. Ne kemi vuajtur shumë dhe tani po ecim gradualisht, dhe ky ndryshim është shumë interesant për t'u parë edhe nga turistët". Ka tregues pozitivë dhe evente të shtuara, si psh Festivali që organizoi Visit Tirana për fotografinë, një Festival vjetor me fotot e postuar në konkurset e mediave sociale, ku janë angazhuar të rinj, të huaj dhe shqiptarë, gjë që tregon një interes të shtuar për të tilla evente promovuese.
Znj. Eva Kushova ofron një perspektivë shtesë: "Tani Tirana ka tjetër liri, tjetër frymë, një atmosferë ndryshe vecanërisht me gjallërinë e të rinjë. Qyteti është plot me njerëz që e shijojnë jetën. Ne kemi vuajtur shumë dhe tani po ecim gradualisht, dhe ky ndryshim është shumë interesant për t'u parë edhe nga turistët". Ka tregues pozitivë dhe evente të shtuara, si psh Festivali që organizoi Visit Tirana për fotografinë, një Festival vjetor me fotot e postuar në konkurset e mediave sociale, ku janë angazhuar të rinj, të huaj dhe shqiptarë, gjë që tregon një interes të shtuar për të tilla evente promovuese.
Shih artikullin origjinal
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Visit Tirana, tourism beyond the beaches - Intellinews
Visit Tirana, tourism beyond the beaches - Intellinews
Clare
Nuttall of Intellinews talks to several tourism actors about tourism offer in
Albania.
She
interviewed also Alma Gerxhani and Eva Kushova, owners of Manderina Promotions the
Tirana based PR and marketing company that created Visit Tirana portal.
Long
reliant on package tourists from Eastern Europe and neighbouring Balkan states
who flock to its beaches in the summer season, Albania is gradually
diversifying its tourist offering.
Tourism and related industries already account for over a quarter — 26.2% — of Albania’s GDP, a staggeringly high proportion that beats the share in major tourist destinations like Greece, Italy and Turkey, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). Yet those in the industry believe there is huge potential to broaden the types of tourism on offer away from the traditional package holidays.
“The big figures are for the seaside, mainly tourists from Eastern Europe, but also Kosovo and Macedonia, who come for beach holidays,” says Alma Gerxhani of Manderina, the Tirana based PR and marketing company that created the Visit Tirana portal.
“While there has always been a group of western travellers interested in culture — they visit Albania’s Unesco sites — these numbers are smaller.” As well as the Unesco World Heritage sites at Berat, Butrint and Gjirokastra, Gerxhani and Manderina’s co-founder Eva Kushova list the potential for adventure tourism, nature destination, rafting, hiking, riding and other types of holiday.
“Today the vast majority of tourists are concentrated in the summer months, coming on package holidays from Eastern Europe, arriving on charter flights and spending one or two weeks on the beach,” agrees Matteo Colangeli, the head of the EBRD office in Tirana, in an interview with IntelliNews.
“Certainly there is the potential to go beyond that in terms of attracting people to other parts of the country. Albania has nature, mountains, food and culture, so could attract independent and higher paying tourists, aside from the charter flight package holiday crowd.” The founders of these independent tour companies say they are dealing with people who are already aware of the attractions of Albania, whether it’s the culture, nature, cuisine or opportunities for outdoor and adventure sports. But such travellers are in the minority. For the most part, Albania has a bit of an image problem with poverty and crime being among the words associated with the country. And on top of this, there has been a failure to promote the country’s tourism much beyond beach holidays.
Since the fall of communism, Manderina’s Gerxhani says, the tourist board and tour operators picked the easy option: marketing “the southern beaches that look and feel like Greece but are cheaper.”
“There was an attempt to get the name out there, which required references and associations with beaches which people feel strongly about when going on vacation. But I’d stress more the local experiences, I’d would love for people to stretch beyond beaches or Unesco cities. This would be much more helpful to the local communities,” she says.
The Manderina founders say there was virtually no information in English on the Albanian capital so they launched the Visit Tirana portal, following the models of successful sites for cities like Copenhagen. This was done entirely on their own initiative, and later attracted the attention of Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj who complimented the Manderina team for “promoting our city way better than some of us are tasked to do by City Hall!” was he quoted in Twitter. The plan now is to expand across Albania.
Asked why people should visit Albania, Gerxhani has no shortage of reasons: “The nature is beautiful, the culture — we have been there for ages, we are very ancient, our language is one of the oldest in the world. The people are one of our biggest assets, very hospitable, genuine hospitality, where people are considered not as a client but as a friend… even if they don’t have much to offer they still offer.”
Kushova offers an additional perspective: “Now we are getting this freedom, this bright spirit, especially in Tirana among the young people. There is a nice atmosphere, they are enjoying life. We suffered a lot and now we are gradually moving forward and this is very interesting to see.” There are signs that campaigns like Manderina’s Visit Tirana site and its annual photo festival and social media competition are paying off.
Tourism and related industries already account for over a quarter — 26.2% — of Albania’s GDP, a staggeringly high proportion that beats the share in major tourist destinations like Greece, Italy and Turkey, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). Yet those in the industry believe there is huge potential to broaden the types of tourism on offer away from the traditional package holidays.
“The big figures are for the seaside, mainly tourists from Eastern Europe, but also Kosovo and Macedonia, who come for beach holidays,” says Alma Gerxhani of Manderina, the Tirana based PR and marketing company that created the Visit Tirana portal.
“While there has always been a group of western travellers interested in culture — they visit Albania’s Unesco sites — these numbers are smaller.” As well as the Unesco World Heritage sites at Berat, Butrint and Gjirokastra, Gerxhani and Manderina’s co-founder Eva Kushova list the potential for adventure tourism, nature destination, rafting, hiking, riding and other types of holiday.
“Today the vast majority of tourists are concentrated in the summer months, coming on package holidays from Eastern Europe, arriving on charter flights and spending one or two weeks on the beach,” agrees Matteo Colangeli, the head of the EBRD office in Tirana, in an interview with IntelliNews.
“Certainly there is the potential to go beyond that in terms of attracting people to other parts of the country. Albania has nature, mountains, food and culture, so could attract independent and higher paying tourists, aside from the charter flight package holiday crowd.” The founders of these independent tour companies say they are dealing with people who are already aware of the attractions of Albania, whether it’s the culture, nature, cuisine or opportunities for outdoor and adventure sports. But such travellers are in the minority. For the most part, Albania has a bit of an image problem with poverty and crime being among the words associated with the country. And on top of this, there has been a failure to promote the country’s tourism much beyond beach holidays.
Since the fall of communism, Manderina’s Gerxhani says, the tourist board and tour operators picked the easy option: marketing “the southern beaches that look and feel like Greece but are cheaper.”
“There was an attempt to get the name out there, which required references and associations with beaches which people feel strongly about when going on vacation. But I’d stress more the local experiences, I’d would love for people to stretch beyond beaches or Unesco cities. This would be much more helpful to the local communities,” she says.
The Manderina founders say there was virtually no information in English on the Albanian capital so they launched the Visit Tirana portal, following the models of successful sites for cities like Copenhagen. This was done entirely on their own initiative, and later attracted the attention of Tirana mayor Erion Veliaj who complimented the Manderina team for “promoting our city way better than some of us are tasked to do by City Hall!” was he quoted in Twitter. The plan now is to expand across Albania.
Asked why people should visit Albania, Gerxhani has no shortage of reasons: “The nature is beautiful, the culture — we have been there for ages, we are very ancient, our language is one of the oldest in the world. The people are one of our biggest assets, very hospitable, genuine hospitality, where people are considered not as a client but as a friend… even if they don’t have much to offer they still offer.”
Kushova offers an additional perspective: “Now we are getting this freedom, this bright spirit, especially in Tirana among the young people. There is a nice atmosphere, they are enjoying life. We suffered a lot and now we are gradually moving forward and this is very interesting to see.” There are signs that campaigns like Manderina’s Visit Tirana site and its annual photo festival and social media competition are paying off.
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