Beyond Green Travel with Costas Christ Albania: The Untouched Mediterranean

Text by Global Travel Editor Costas Christ

Albania’s isolation from the rest of the world for decades during the Cold War had an unintended consequence: The country today retains its wild landscapes, uncrowded historical sites, and traditional villages in a region that is one of the most crowded tourism destinations on the planet—the Mediterranean.

I recently joined a group of 64 Albanians in the coastal town of Durres to discuss a sustainable tourism plan, one that would help protect the natural and cultural heritage, while improving the livelihoods of the local people. The fact that Albanians are coming together to talk seriously about sustainable tourism as a means of economic development puts them ahead of many nearby countries that followed the path of mass tourism development, which has left behind damaged ecosystems, polluted beaches, and vanishing local culture (think Santorini in Greece, Provence in France, or the Costa del Sol in Spain). While uncontrolled tourism has already spread to some parts of Albania (the coastal town of Durres suffers from chaotic concrete block hotel development, a glut of tourist bars, and litter in the streets), much of the rest of the country still offers a chance to experience traditional Mediterranean life that has become increasingly rare in the region. 

During my trip, the Albanians I met were friendly, the prices cheap, the local food excellent. Traditional music thrives, and the rugged mountains provide truly off-the-beaten-trail Mediterranean hiking.

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Comments

[Hai]

Very good post.Hope i can travel there with my wife one day.
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bebgfdr I always gain new ideas here. very goo site. I give you 10 out of 10.

[wedding planning books]

we have just come back from a hiking holiday in lanzarote i wonder if this is somwere we would consider going in the futer.

[Tablet PCs]

This is a matter of asking for trouble then wondering why trouble arrives in droves. Tourism decision makers race to develop what they believe to be globally competitive projects. That, in and of itself, means that they willfully relinquish their heritage (without asking the majority of citizens if they agree).2945abc45 0422

[Rob]

This was very interesting.
Many thanks.

[Rob]

This was very interesting.

[Rob]

This was very interesting.
Many thanks.

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