I have lived in Albania for almost six years, and things have changed a lot during that time. When I first arrived and set up my website, there was very little information about Albania, particularly tourism, available online and in English.
My blog was something of a trailblazer, getting upwards of 50,000 visitors a month at its peak. But now, the internet is awash with information from dedicated sites, YouTube channels, and glossy features in the world’s leading newspapers and magazines.
Furthermore, tourism is set to surpass all previous expectations this year, with visitor numbers already up almost 60% on 2022. It is safe to say Albania has finally arrived as a destination on the radar of the world’s fervent travellers.
But once you are here, there are still challenges in finding your way around, particularly in knowing what is happening. I have always struggled to stay up to date with events, often finding out about exciting exhibitions, plays, performances, and festivals after they have happened. I usually scour Instagram or Facebook, and while this kind of works for a local, a tourist would not have the time or knowledge to do the same.
In June 2023, the Albanian government- particularly the Ministry of Tourism and the National Tourism Agency launched a new application called Tourism Events of Albania (TEA). Available on Play and Apple Store, the application is free to use throughout Albania, thanks to agreements with local telecom providers. It aims to bring together all the cultural events in the country in one application, so locals and visitors can find out what’s on and where.
“Today we can say that we have a cultural and artistic calendar of the entire touristic Albania which is accessible by anyone through a simple informative application with many tastes,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said at the event launch in Tirana.
“It is a work started for years, today; it is in a new phase but in continuous development because we strongly believe that touristic Albania is beyond the wonderful waters of the sea, beyond the magical peaks of the mountains, beyond the valleys and natural beauties as a whole. The reasons for visiting Albania as a tourist are much more than that. The union of cultural heritage, art, cooking and traditional activities are an extraordinary opportunity to increase the capacity that Albania has in absorbing tourists from all over the world,” he added.
TEA is available in English and Shqip and opens with a map of Albania, divided into municipalities. You simply click on the municipality of interest to open a list of events that will take place there. You can filter by event type and interests and quickly find where each event takes place, the date and time, and nearby locations of interest.
Currently, the application still displays events that have passed, although those behind TEA say some of the initial kinks are set to be worked out. I was also wondering how members of the public could submit their own events to the platform, as there are many private or civil society events that would be of great interest to many. A spokesperson told me that event listings could be submitted to [email protected].
Currently, the app lists over 1000 events with detailed information and can notify users as the date of a certain event draws near. It also has a share function, a calendar function, and a heart function so that events can be saved to preferences.
Having used the app for just over a week, I can say that while it is basic in functionality with a few hiccups that should be ironed out, it is something that was much needed. I have been able to get visibility of events I previously would not have known about, and it has saved me time, pouring over Facebook and Instagram trying to find things that interest me. It will also greatly help foreigners who would otherwise not know where to look for information on events taking place during their stay.
The TEA app will stay on my phone, and I will continue using it several times a week. When I look back to the almost non-existent information available on Albanian six years ago to where we are today, I am pleased to see that progress is being made. To those who complain, you complain when the government does nothing, and you complain when they do something. For me, this app is useful and fills a gap that was previously left gaping!
I look forward to seeing TEA develop alongside the country’s burgeoning tourism industry.
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