A recent BBC article about the preservation of Butrint heritage site in Albania caught my eye and it started me thinking seriously about Albania’s chances of becoming a major tourist destination. Heather recently gave us some reasons to visit in her post entitled “Why go to Abania?” and Karen picked up on the fact that Albania was tipped to a top destination by 2030 in a post she wrote for Wandalust.

Butrint, Albania by Valerie MM

Albania has it all: beaches, beautiful interior, rich history and mediterranean weather. By rights, Albania should have been a major international destination for a long time now. So, why is it relatively unknown?

Albania lies to the north of north-west Greece and has an extensive western coastline, which leads from the Adriatic sea in the north to the Ionian sea in the south, looking across to nearby Italy. It has well-recorded and rich history, particularly of the Greco-Roman and Byzantine periods, with many well preserved locations.

Albanian seascape by vlonjati75

So, what has gone wrong and what’s been done about it?

During WWII Albania was occupied by the Axis powers and then alligned with the USSR until 1960, when a strong political alliance with China and several billion dollars in aid kept its economy afloat. Eventually the money run out by 1997 and the country withdrew inwards, which by the 90′s led to economic collapse and social unrest. The country then fell victim to a large-scale financial hoax that left it bankrupt in 1997. A fraudulent investment scheme, in which critics claim the government colluded, resulted in loss of the savings of many Albanians and widespread rioting. Despite current government attempts to bring the country into this century and Europe, including efforts to join Nato, scams and gangs still operate. Nevertheless, progress is being made and Albania simply has too much to offer to be ignored.

Albanian interior, by liako

There are some well-established coastal resorts. Durrës is the former capital and an important port city. The drive from either the airport or (the present capital) Tirana to Durrës takes 35 minutes. The port of Vlora, a 3-hour drive further south, is framed by nearby mountains and the natural gateway to the Llogora National Forest. Vlora is located at the confluence of the Adriatic and Ionian seas and it is famed for a relaxed lifestyle and a Mediterranean feel. An old military airport nearby is considered ripe for future commercial conversion (Easyjet, Ryanair, are you reading this?). Further south, Saranda, thought of as the most attractive town on the Albanian Riviera, boasts the ruins of the World Heritage Site at Butrint (see 1st photo) and is a thirty minute ferry journey from (Greek) Corfu island.

So, perhaps beautiful Albania may not necessarily be for the faint hearted, but certainly worth exploring for the naturally cautious adventurous types (aren’t most of us? – and, hey, isn’t that what travel is all about?)

Flights are available mainly from London (e.g. Malev, BA). Flying from the UK, Balkan Holidays offer two centre holidays to Durrës and Montenegro. Visit Albania quickly, as it might only take a cheap flight operator for the country’s tourism to explode and/or conversion to the Euro to make it expensive!