Foreigners blacken Saranda and the "Maldives of Europe": Everywhere is dirty and messy, everything is under construction

2024-07-18 07:17:00, Sociale CNA

Foreigners blacken Saranda and the "Maldives of Europe": Everywhere is

Illustrative photo

As the political rhetoric inside the country is looking for the "traitors" who are blackening tourism, it seems that the operation to find the latter, seems to extend to Cagliari, Sardinia, or to Britain and the wider world.

Recently, Tripadvisor, a platform that is widely popular among travelers, has been "blackened" with negative comments about Saranda and Ksamil.

In every country of the world, the "review", that is, the evaluation, is taken as information that serves the tourist where to go and where not, and the business or destination where to improve, in Albania it seems that this is not seen that way.

Everything seems to have been fine until the beginning of June, where the reviews have been good, but the increase in the flow of tourists in June and July has put the weak points of these two destinations in the epicenter, where the negative comments are unsparing.

What prevails for these destinations is the word "dirty" that describes the situation of waste, and mess that has to do with constructions in progress within the city but also endless private constructions.

“Tourism is in its infancy and similar to 30 years ago, the infrastructure is a total wreck, poverty is everywhere versus the buildings/hotels built by rich people with local control.

There are no big or bigger markets, which gives the opportunity to the local mafia to dictate the prices. Free beaches outside the city" says the ANA.D review from Italy.

"I am completely disappointed in Saranda. It was crowded, dirty and very expensive. I'm sorry I booked here but I'm glad it was only 4 days out of 12" says LordSmithers T from Stanford in UK.

"I have been to every country in the Balkans and Albania is the worst so far. Separation that cost us dearly.

Hotels with prices almost like in London, food of very poor quality and drinks are expensive. The roads are dirty and dangerous, with travel hazards everywhere.

We booked to stay for a week but gave up after a few days and went back to civilization in Greece" says another Brit under the name JohnCooze05.

You can find comments like these endlessly online, but the government, instead of reflecting and improving those points where there is an emergency, such as better management of waste, polluted water and beaches, seems to have decided to spend energy on backlash on social networks.

Albania is experiencing one of the best tourist years where, according to the figures, 4.5 million foreigners have visited the country until the end of June.

The latter are the real ambassadors who can influence, for better or for worse, the image of Albania's still fragile tourism profile. Therefore, in these conditions, when the season still has a good part of it ahead, "there is no time for rest", and this slogan is well known by the "institutions"./ Monitor magazine