ALBANIA: Addressing the Image Problem

By Zoltán Dujisin Reprint | | Print |

Zoltán Dujisin

TIRANA, Feb 27 2008 (IPS) - Albania is stepping up efforts to show the world that its past of obscure communism, poverty-driven migration and a collapsing economy have been definitely put behind.

The 2006 European Union Eurobarometer survey showed that half of EU citizens opposed the membership of a country they knew little or nothing about. Only Turkey performed worse than Albania. This was not well digested by Albanians, whose ultimate goal is to join the European family.

The country of 3.6 million is still better known for its disproportionately repressive 47 years of communism than anything it achieved in terms of democratisation since transition to democracy in 1991.

Since the post-communist period, Albania has hit international headlines for drug trafficking, human trafficking to Italy, or the collapse of financial pyramid schemes in 1997, in which countless Albanians lost all their savings.

Information on Albania being either bad or nonexistent, many in Albania realised “there was a story to be told to the world,” says Nora Kushti, Communications Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Her organisation launched an Image of Albania project after acknowledging that there was a need to create more positive, but realistic associations to Albania.

Working with the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UNDP goal has been to improve both the quantity and quality of information on Albania.

Filling the information gap through a myriad of projects, bulletins, publications and cooperation with the media, Kushti says the work has “not been a PR project, but that of showing the real Albania.”

The world has begun to take note of the new Albania, she said. “For three years I have been monitoring the press, and information on Albania has increased dramatically,” she told IPS.

Kushti says she has herself witnessed immense changes in the last six to seven years. “Poverty remains a problem, but we are on the right track, successful Albanians are returning home, investment is growing, and in five to 10 years there will be a boom in infrastructure and in tourism.”

There is growing recognition of Albania’s potential for tourism. After the New York Times named it the best budget destination of the year in 2006, the following year saw National Geographic include it in its top 10 adventure tourism destinations.

Tourism is considered a key asset for development of the second poorest country in Europe (after Moldova), and international tourism fairs and other country promotional events have been used as platforms to bring visibility to the country.

One of the initiatives of the Image of Albania project has been a visitor perception survey executed at Tirana’s Mother Teresa airport among visitors leaving Albania. “Tourists always leave with a better impression than what they expected before coming,” UNDP project coordinator Dasara Dizdari told IPS.

The conclusion nevertheless confirms that visitors come to Albania with a negative, pre-made image, which has not only diminished the number of visitors landing in Tirana but also held back foreign investors.

The preliminary results of the airport survey confirm that the majority of visitors to Albania are still ethnic Albanians, though the number of non-Albanians coming to the country, especially on business trips, is growing.

Visitors surveyed said they were impressed by the friendliness of locals, the pleasant climate, the local cuisine and the beauty of Albanian landscapes, but said also that the quality of services and the lack of transport infrastructure has not allowed them to fully grasp what the country may have to offer.

Albania’s latest effort to improve its image has been centred on promoting itself as an eco-cultural tourism destination, but Dizdari says “major efforts are required from the Albanian government.” Kushti adds that the government should “definitely strengthen its PR.”

Civil society groups are working to back government efforts. “We have many beautiful places and possibilities to welcome people, but the government should not just worry about improving the image, it should also make sure this image matches reality,” Ervin Qafmolla, from the youth civic movement Mjaft (Enough) told IPS. “It has to pay attention to such details as cleaning the beaches in summer.”

Mjaft’s initiatives have mainly focused on bringing Albanians together with foreigners at music events and through exchange programmes, in the belief that human contact is best for overcoming prejudice.

MjaftFest is one of the biggest music festivals in the region taking place yearly in different locations along the Albanian coastline. The group has exchange programmes going with European NGOs.

“People abroad only hear about Albanians when something negative happens, and through these events we break psychological barriers,” Qafmolla says. “We are giving foreigners the opportunity to get to know real Albanian people and their culture.

“The goal is to show that Albania is not just nice nature, but a complex country. Our effort is at a personal level, not just one of showing a nice photograph album,” says Qafmolla.