“Maldives of Europe” are booming among holidaymakers in Italy: but a devastating development is imminent

Holidays in Italy and Croatia are becoming more and more expensive. Albania is considered by many to be a cheap alternative. But the “Maldives of Europe” is threatened with a devastating development.

Tirana – Crystal-clear, turquoise-blue sea, sandy beach and cute old towns that invite you to stroll around with restaurants in the evening. This is the holiday dream that thousands of Germans want to fulfill in the summer with trips to Italy, Croatia, Greece or Spain. But the expensive prices in many holiday regions are causing problems for many people this year.

In Croatia you even had to take countermeasures. After the prices had risen so enormously, many rooms remained empty – the tour operators had to radically reduce the prices as a result. Similar developments are already evident in Italy. For example in Apulia or in Liguria. In Italy, it is mainly the local holidaymakers who are missing this summer, several surveys have meanwhile found. Many people simply do not have the money to pay the sometimes horrendous prices for a beach holiday with Dolce Vita.

Albania touted as the “Maldives of Europe”: “Not so developed yet” – prices are tempting

That is why the travel destination Albania is booming this year, especially in Italy. A number of travel portals now praise the country as the “Maldives of Europe”. Albania is currently still an insider tip. “The country is not yet as developed for tourism and is not as extensively connected by flights as Mallorca, for example,” says Torsten Schäfer from the German Travel Association morning post. “It is therefore more suitable for people who want to explore Albania individually. In the meantime, however, there are also numerous package and round trips from tour operators for the country”. So there has already been a change.

But currently Albania still attracts with comparatively low prices.

While two sun loungers and a corresponding parasol cost around 50 euros a day in Apulia, in Albania you pay between 10 and 15 euros. In the case of accommodation and gastronomy, the distances are similar to those Republica explained in a recent article. “For Italians looking for a fantastic sea at reasonable prices, the land of the eagles is the last resort,” says Italy’s largest newspaper.

Albania attracts vacationers to Italy: But tourism already has its price

And the Italians apparently follow the travel call in large numbers. Every third tourist in Ksamil – a town overlooking the Greek island of Corfu – is from Italy. Albania’s government forecasts that nearly nine million tourists will travel to the country this summer. That is three million more than in 2022. A clear plus.

However, experts are already warning of the consequences.

“With this history of Europe’s Maldives just a stone’s throw away and within easy reach of a long flight, Albanian developers are promoting the destruction of the Albanian coast,” says Auron Tare, a member of UNESCO’s Archaeological Cities Council. We are moving towards a “low-cost mass market”. As a result, masses of people would come who were only interested in cheap rooms and cheap alcohol. However, this is a strategy “that has proved unsuccessful in all Mediterranean countries,” said Tare zur Republica.

According to the report, prices are also rising rapidly in Albania. It is true that they are still significantly lower compared to Italy. But the trend is clear. In addition, the relaxed stay is increasingly giving way to profit-driven hospitality, according to the report. Albania is still treated as an insider tip – but mass tourism is apparently already casting its shadow.(rjs)

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