On Tuesday, Prime Minister Edi Rama participated in a tourism forum organized by Euronews in Brussels. The Albanian prime minister boasted about the growing tourist numbers and how our country has become attractive to foreigners and investors.
But Mato Franković warned Rama that this is not the way to develop tourism.
"Albania will soon face a big problem. I listened to Prime Minister Edi Rama and I'm not sure if he is aware of how popularity can explode in 1 minute. It only takes a few sparks, like what happened to Dubrovnik with "Game of Thornes". Remember? After that series, the flight (of tourist numbers) happened. That's why it's always necessary to see that others did something and learn from the mistakes of others" - warned the mayor of the Croatian city.
After the influx of tourism, Dubrovnik is open to all, but with certain conditions. The mayor highlighted his city's success in finding a "new balance" between welcoming large numbers of tourists and protecting the quality of life for residents and the local charm.
Despite these measures, Franković stressed that the city received 35% more visitors compared to 2017, but underlined that the distribution of the number of visitors during the day is "crucial". He added that Dubrovnik is "a world city, a world historical site and it should be open to everyone. But, with certain conditions".
Over the past decade, the Croatian city of Dubrovnik has struggled against tourist overcrowding that threatened its permanent population, infrastructure and UNESCO-protected status. ©LAPSI.al
