Regional focus No longer a secret
France. Spain. Italy. These are the names traditionally associated with hospitality in the Mediterranean. Albania... perhaps not so much – that is until recently anyway. Long ignored by tourists and hoteliers alike, this Balkans nation is watching its fortunes transform. Both Radisson and IHG recently announced plans to open their first branded hotel in the country, while the Albanian government is busy sharpening infrastructure. Not that hoteliers necessarily need much encouragement. Between stunning natural beauty, acres of history and delicious food, Albania has something for everyone. Andrea Valentino talks to Blerina Ago of Active Albania and Hylko Versteeg of IHG to learn more.
hen it opened in 1979, the Hotel Tirana was the pearl of Albania. Built in a smooth Soviet style, it was comfortably the tallest tower in the land, offering an ideal meeting space for foreign diplomats and apparatchiks alike. But this being the country of Enver Hoxha – perhaps the most unhinged communist despot of the century – the Hotel Tirana came equipped with more eccentric features too, such as a network of secret underground tunnels, that meant the property was perfect for officials looking to make a quick getaway.
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And while it has since been renamed and reopened in a post-communist, democratic Albania, the Hotel Tirana is in some ways symbolic of how the country
has fared even since the end of the Cold War. Destitute and bewildered after 40 years of Stalinism, the Albanian economy has struggled even as its Balkan neighbours soared. And nowhere is this clearer than what the Hotel Tirana nominally represented: Albanian hospitality. From Dubrovnik to Kotor, Croatia and Montenegro are now among the most popular destinations in Europe. Slovenia, with its Mitteleuropean charm, is rising too. Even Bosnians – victims of a different kind of trauma – have made Sarajevo into an attractive weekend destination. Tirana? Not so much. As recently as 2012, the country known to locals as the Land of the Eagles welcomed a mere 3.5 million international visitors, a
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
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Active Albania
Active Albania
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