Many tourists and few workers in Albania, complaints about quality of services

Foreign tourists mostly visit some of Tirana's main tourist attractions, such as the National Historical Museum, the Clock Tower, the Etéhem Bey Mosque, photographed in front of the monument of Albanian national hero Gjergji Kastriot Skenderbeu, as well as visiting BunkArt2, who in the communist regime's period has been the interior ministry's anti-subtral bunker. They also visit the Albanian coastline.

Radio Free Europe has talked to some of the foreign tourists who have shown what you like and what not in Albania.

Anxiety over quality of services

I'm in Albania for the first time and I love it. I like nature and food, but negative is the fact that few people can communicate in English while we are serving”, Marina Katashalla from Austria told Radio Free Europe, which visited the Etchem Beut Mosque in Tirana.

Meanwhile, Michel from Austria, before visiting Tirana, had stayed in southern Albania, in Ksamil, who said it was a beautiful place. However, she had complaints about the ministry.

“The restaurants and hotels are really good, but the staff has a lot of problems in communicating with foreign tourists. Road infrastructure is also a problem. However, I like Albania and I'll be back”, this tourist said.

Raiza from Indonesia said Albania is very much like its country in terms of roads and traffic. Despite assessing purity, she mentioned problems with hotel service because of the small number of workers.

We were going to our room on the 12th floor, and the staff was a bit of a mess, a little aggressive working out our luggage while we were waiting to get the elevator. I have also had difficulty communicating because they understood little English”, she said.

Over 50 percent more tourists

According to the latest report by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), published on May 25th, tourism in Albania has marked growth.

“over the months of January-April, about 1.7 million foreigners visited Albania, compared to the same period a year ago, is 57 percent more”, the report said.

Tourist companies said there are influx of tourists and there are reservations for the summer months. But what bothers them is dealing with this situation because of the lack of the workforce.

Ferilolt Ozun, a tourism expert and at the same time director of a tourist agency, said finding qualified staff, or half qualified, poses a major challenge.

The tourism industry needs at least 35 percent more staff, as this type of industry provides guarantees for a seasonal period. We are obliged to take unprepared staff that violates the quality of services, but we have no choice for certain services. So, as it says in the popular language, we're doing aminoms, we're trying to fill gaps with all sorts of ways”, Ozun said.

He stressed that because they fail to employ qualified staff, they owe some staff members to convert to “training” for their workers.

I suffer for bus drivers after organizing different tours and can't hire unqualified persons and train because it takes too long. I have been forced to make my own driver, but I also have a tourist guide in some cases, with several groups of local and foreign tourists. It's contracts that were signed several months ago and you don't see how the situation comes and you're out of work. Well, I'm a company manager. I'm supposed to do this. My responsibilities are high. I have to be in touch with partners, clients, etc. This has happened to many of my colleagues, because of the many shortages we have on staff”, he indicated.

Even though state institutions have established it as a tourism priority, Ozuni said he did not see anything done in this direction. He said that professional high school or universities are not oriented towards the needs of the labour market.

Urgent, short-term “

Faithful Vathi from the hotel-Turkish association told Radio Free Europe that lack of labour force is the main problem of tourism on the eve of the start of the summer season.

It's too late to find a solution now. Much earlier measures should have been taken with concrete long-term policies. For this season, this cost remains to business, which has taken measures for individual training, while trying to find qualified workers both from Turkey and Serbia, Northern Macedonia to bring in qualified workers, so that this season of growing flow can be met successfully. Now business should look for urgent, long-term solutions”, Vathi said.

He added that Albania's tourism industry lacks cooks, waiters and drivers.

According to the report published by INSTAT, the number of foreign tourists this year is the highest in the last seven years. This institution has warned that there will be increased foreign visitors to Albania during the summer, which leaders in the tourism industry said would present a big challenge for them.