Visit Tirana has been promoting tourism in Tirana for ten years, focusing more on authenticity, cultural sites, the history of our city, unique attractions, and extraordinary nature.

Tourists are coming in great numbers. But what are they getting from Tirana? What is the taste with which they leave our country? Does it keep them coming back? If they were to return, what would they do the second time? What would they visit?

All these questions that a destination management organization should ask are missing. Tourists do not leave a review of what they liked and what should be changed.

The destination is unprepared for what needs to change for the coming year so that tourists are satisfied. If you don’t measure visitor satisfaction, you don’t know what to offer the next year, especially for repetitive visitors. 

Nothing new

We see tourists walking in large groups everywhere in Tirana. They are doing the same itinerary from Skanderbeg Square to Mother Teresa Square. The walking tours in Tirana are almost the same for all tour operators. What changes in the professionalism of the Tour Guides? Some tour guides are young and not passionate about the stories; they show the places and do not interpret our history. There are also professional tour guides who, while walking the same boulevard, tell more stories about Albanians. The most visited attractions are the same: House of Leaves and Bunkart. Some important cultural institutions, such as the National Historical Museum, are closed.  The artisans are not involved in the tours.

The big winners are tour operators and hotels, bars, and restaurants. Many villages in Tirana do not see tourists at all because of transportation and the lack of involvement in tour packages.

Change needed…

Visit Tirana has been in contact with tourists for years and is now orienting the offer towards sustainable tourism. Sustainable tourism does not mean only the expansion of seasonality throughout the months of the year but also tourism that preserves our history, culture, and authentic attractions, tourism that protects the city and the environment, and above all, tourism that brings income to the community, for small businesses, for artisans, for restaurants and bars. 

Visit Tirana has launched the new initiative GREEN TIRANA. This site will offer Tirana another offer: sustainable products, starting with promoting green transport, authentic experiences, and even environmentally friendly shopping. 

Through Green Tirana, we will promote mostly authentic experiences in Tirana, mainly engaging communities. So tourists can be part of the community by experiencing how we locals live, what we do, how we eat, what we dress, and how we celebrate.

But we can’t do this alone. It is a vast and essential step toward a revolution in tourism, from massive and disorganized to sustainable tourism. To achieve this mission, we invite all businesses that want to support this type of tourism in Tirana to join our green journey.

Let’s promote our cultural heritage, nature, and sustainable tourism together before it is too late. In our country, no DMOs or public-private organizations take care of tourism and sustainable tourism steps. Our tourism businesses are still not certified with green labels. Our goverment is still not working on the guidelines for all stakeholders to follow the sustainable agenda.

We have a long road to follow other developed countries’ actions toward sustainability.

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Contact: contact@visit-tirana.com, 0692078553, info@greentirana.com