PROMOTING ADVENTURE TOURISM IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
The COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the global tourism industry. Grounded flights, closed borders, and quarantines resulted in global travel grinding to a halt in March of 2020. Large tourism corporations have struggled to weather this economic storm and the most vulnerable, small, independent local tourism firms have been hit the hardest. USAID’s Economic Development, Governance, and Enterprise Growth (EDGE) project is working directly with the tourism sector in the E&E region to help them economically recover from COVID-19.
Active Albania is an innovative organization offering opportunities for eco, rural, and adventure tourism and promotes authentic experiences in the Western Balkans by supporting responsible tourism activities.
With a grant from USAID EDGE, Active Albania implemented the “Embrace Balkans Adventure” activity that provides training to tour operators and guides from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia to grow their knowledge, skills, and services to enhance incoming tourism in the region. Twenty-one individuals, both representatives from new tour operators and independent guides from across the Western Balkans learned how service providers should prepare to meet new safety needs and expectations, how their partnership and distribution networks are evolving, and renewed emphasis on customer service. These providers gained knowledge on the implications of COVID-19 on tourism and the changing dynamics of the global marketplace to pivot to the “new normal” in the tourism sector.
Tamara Radulović, Executive Director of Master Travel & Consulting Agency from Montenegro attended the training. The training was helpful to her, as she noted that “practical examples were of great help to us, because we had an overview of good practice and bad practice, and in that way we easily and quickly understood where we make mistakes in our business. We also learned how we should conduct marketing of our tours in times of the COVID pandemic, and how we should protect the participants of the tours to make them feel comfortable and safe.”
As a result of the newly acquired knowledge and skills, Master Travel & Consulting Agency is now offering higher quality services tailored towards travelers needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Radulovic continued, “We have adapted the way we promote our tours to the current epidemiological situation and managed to convince tourists that they are completely safe when they use the services of our agency. In the moments when we conduct tours, we practice the “new normal,” so our tourists are amazed by the professionalism and care we take about them and their health.”
Expanding efforts to promote adventure tourism in the region, Active Albania developed eight new pack rafting multi-day tours in the Western Balkans, redesigning regional tourism products including pack rafting, hiking, and cycling adventures. These tours are offered for purchase online, targeting regional and Western European markets, specifically outdoor enthusiasts. These cross-border adventures connect over 80 local businesses and tourism guides in remote areas of Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
Taulant Hoxha, Co-founder at SuperXplorers in Kosovo, participated in the rafting course which was part of the “Embrace Balkans Adventure” activity. Mr. Hoxha values the newly gained knowledge about adventure tourism and he is now applying these skills in his current business endeavors. He explained: “I already organized a tour on the Vjosa river in Albania, where I learned a lot about the amazing activity of rafting, and together with some of the local guides we had a blast, and my clients were absolutely amazed.”
Organizations like Active Albania are working with EDGE to rebuild more resilient and linked economies as a part of the COVID-19 recovery in order to promote inclusive sustainable economic development in the adventure tourism sector of the Western Balkans.
