Prime Minister Edi Rama at meeting with mayors on set of measures to ensure a qualitative tourism season:
Good afternoon everyone and thank you very much for your presence!
Today we will be discussing a program which commences with what the Minister of Tourism and Environment is about to announce, but which includes and concerns all of us, the central and local government, other relevant institutions, the mayors and prefects in a true challenge to make sure the upcoming tourist season offers new quality in terms of role and duties all state institutions and shareholders should perform.
Development of tourism when the industry is experiencing an ever annual constant surge in demand is certainly a tremendous challenge for Albania, whereas the industry’s supply currently is well below the demand in terms of the accommodation and hospitality infrastructure. As of today, all tour and travel operators have confirmed that all hotels and other accommodation and hospitality facilities available for the tourist season all over the country, from north to the south, have been already fully booked. On the other hand, the country is diversifying its map of tourist arrivals in terms the geographical location of tourists, yet it is undisputable we are still lagging far behind in terms of the number of hotels and various categories of hospitality and hotel services compared to the growing demand.
However, although we are intense working on this aspect, namely to further foster both foreign and domestic investments in the country’s tourism sector, we still need to do a lot more starting from this season in terms of cleanliness, safety and in terms of fully meeting the family and individual demands of the people who chose to spend their vacations here in Albania by making sure the industry provides a broader range of activities than simply the daily seaside holiday routine. To this end, since the start of our government’s second term in office, we have set up an inter-ministerial working group, including the Minister of Tourism and Environment, the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Minister of Culture and the Minister of Economy and Finance.
I’m pretty convinced the plan we have developed is a very important and reliable instrument to move forward the outmoded positions, frankly saying, of the state as a whole in relation to these aspects and ensure a much cleaner and safer tourist season and a wider array of activities of various nature available to all holidaymakers.
In the coming days and weeks we will need to speak more and go over details of the entire plan, but I would like to point out something which is the indispensability of a stronger motivation for the municipalities that share the burden of the tourist season, a better coordination of work among the municipalities and the central institutions and the ministries for a more qualitative commitment of all components that constitute the logistic and human resources basis of every municipality in order to create a necessary energy to succeed.
We are well aware that not all municipalities offer the potential and required means to face these challenges on their own. Let’s consider for example the need for continued and qualitative cleaning during the high tourism season, with municipalities obviously unable to cope with the growing number of the residents especially during the summer months only by resorting to its local revenue and contribution to the municipal coffers.
Consequently, the government has already planned a set of very concrete and supporting measures and we are also aware that significant, but yet inadequate steps have been made in terms of safety, health services and the tourists’ protection from various threats, including threats from boats or jet skies, whose number will be drastically limited and be allowed to operate in a very limited area, and environmental threats including fires.
I’m convinced this year will be a turning point in terms of new quality standards thanks to this joint commitment, just like I’m pretty confident that the cooperation with the local government is indispensable in the efforts to ensure and provide a wide range of entertainment, cultural and sports events and activities so that whoever chooses to visit Albania be provided the opportunity to move beyond the hotel and beach area and visit the country’s various cultural heritage sites and attend local festivals of traditional cuisine, or set up a detailed itinerary to allow visitors to better familiarize and reach out to the local population and enjoy opportunity to entertain their children and families through different cultural, art and sports events.
This is more or less the general overview of a broad and very detailed plan. I’m confident that if we join forces and totally commit to rightfully implementing this plan with everyone assuming their own responsibilities and duties then we will ensure a significantly improved tourism season and increased tourist numbers, and will set a good foundation to further perfect, step by step this joint work in the coming seasons.
It would be appropriate to ensure that the so far work and cooperation keeps on becoming more intense, whereas the local government authorities boost collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, which plays a coordinating role with other ministries to address all issues we have agreed upon. Because, for example, if noises are a serious annual problem and chronic illness of our tourist season because they often cause tension, distress and dissatisfaction among the holidaymakers this problem cannot be solved unilaterally. This can be addressed by clearly setting out timetable and the areas where the relevant state authorities are tasked with doing this job and ensuring that no one is disturbed, whereas those who are noise enthusiasts and rejoice at making noise all night long be provided the opportunity to do so in specific areas and far from those who don’t really want to be disturbed.
The plan includes a lot of other details like these. I believe we have examined all carefully, but we still have few more days available still to dot the i’s and commence our joint work.
Meanwhile, the program’s part that deals with cleanliness reminds us of the fact that tourism is not an isolated activity and that people chose to come to Albania, or Albanian holidaymakers who visit and travel across the country, deserve to have a clean environment also on the roads they drive along. So I believe it’s the right thing to launch this program with this first project. Just as I am convinced that if we have a day-to-day and quality cooperation, we will be able to do much more than we have done to date and of course we also learn many things we do not know and that we should do better in the coming season.
Minister of Tourism and Environment Blendi Kosi: We would like to reveal today a detailed plan that was developed following a six-month long work across the country’s 61 municipalities and this week, on occasion of April 22 – the day when the International Earth Day is observed – we intend to launch a fast country-wide cleaning campaign in close collaboration with all factors and shareholders and embark then in a non-stop campaign to provide a cleaner Albania.
Together with the prefecture we have drafted a detailed and clear plan for the Municipality of Tirana and the plan defines the responsible persons and the tools they should use to clean up the city. We have agreed on concerted arrangements with the Ministry of Defence and have agreed with all local institutions and what we actually need is an effort in accordance with the agreements with all factors and shareholders. The Ministry of Tourism has launched a public call on businesses and civil society organizations and they have all agreed to participate in this week-long cleaning up campaign.
After April 22 the power of law will have to be much stronger and the rule of law must act and strike anyone who will continue to handle with the same logic the treatment of urban waste, the dumping of wasteful urban waste, the lack of agreement with the law enforcement institutions to determine how to address these issues.
With regard to the coastline we have agreed with all the ministries with each of the central institutions ready to patronize one of the country’s beaches. This is a task that cannot be fully accomplished in a week only, but a continued care by a central institution, which that a first cleaning campaign takes place within next week and pave the way to a general clean up across the country. This will be an effort which should continue in collaboration with the factors and other actors joining this campaign.
There are three main issues that need to be addressed:
Together with the prefectures we have agreed on measures aimed at preventing the noise or acoustic pollution. Together with mayors we will also develop a plan to define the noise zoning according to noise pollution-related law in force. It is up to the mayor of a city to determine areas where loud music will be allowed or not and an adopted plan is needed.
Putting an end to the discharge of sewage into the sea. We have clearly identified and called on all bars, restaurants and hotels operating close to rivers and the sea to stop discharging raw sewage into these water systems. June 1 is set as the final deadline when a subject will be allowed to operate and if they fail to honour this deadline then they will have their licences and permits removed. Installation of depurators, which is stipulated upon issuance of the environmental permit, is an obligation to all. Without the help and close cooperation with mayors and local government structures it would have been totally impossible to identify any of these businesses which violate the rules and commit an environmental crime that would lead to revocation of the environmental permit.
I would urge all mayors and prefects across the country to closely and directly cooperate with all relevant institutions to ensure public order and safety in the country’s beaches. We are working with the Ministry of Interior to increase police presence along beaches. Mayors of the coastal cities should enforce the law and deploy life guarders along the beaches.
Motorized vessels and jet skies cannot be controlled by the police only. This problem cannot be addressed by inspectorates should there is no established collaboration with the local authorities who should clearly determine the areas where these vessels will be allowed.
With regard to the Clean and Green operation, a series of operations involving the waste dump sites are underway. Each of the mayors has agreed to identify the main pollution and urban waste hotspots. A master plan with our institution’s partners to act swiftly has been already prepared.
Another serious problem that needs to be addressed is that of the hospital waste management. A campaign has been launched along with the Ministry of Health to identify all violators since dumping hospital waste is the most serious environmental crime. The situation is intolerable and unacceptable, starting with the state-owned hospitals and the private medical clinics. A rigorous monitoring of the six companies involved in hospital waste management is necessary. Local government authorities can play a crucial role in this aspect.
“Smile Albania” campaign will kick off on April 22 in close coordination with a group of over 100 young activists, who will join our environmental efforts across the country. The campaign will take place in nine border crossing points to welcome foreign tourists. Meanwhile, some 33 tourist information and environmental education centres will be set up across the country with the heads of the municipalities invited to join this program in order to create a positive tourism atmosphere and make visitors smile.
Prime Minister Edi Rama: I would like to invite all mayors to address their city councils. This is something we have discussed earlier too. Some of you have already done so, others haven’t done it yet – and this is all about more stringent sanctions against pollutants by imposing fines just like it happens in every normal country. These are hefty fines to punish anyone who conflicts with the great national interest, the community’s interest and the legitimate interest of everyone who pay to spend vacations and visit our country on tourist trips.
Extreme sanctions should be imposed on those who dump waste indiscriminately, on hotels, bars or restaurants that discharge sewage into sea and cause acoustic pollution. We should put an end once and for all to this bad tradition created over years.
The city councils can and should adopt such measures so that all our forces, all law enforcement agencies exercise required control, while the revenue collected from these fines and penalties should be transferred to municipalities. For months now, we have sent the clear message to all hotels and restaurants that discharging sewage into sea will no longer be tolerated after June 1. Of course we will evade any form of inspection or control that could cause discontent and dissatisfaction among the holidaymakers, but punitive sanctions will be imposed against such structures. What they should do is to respect contract with the state and the environmental permit that stipulates depuration of sewage through internal installation, just like whole world does where sewage systems are not connected with the public infrastructure.
The same goes for regarding respect for the law taking into account the interests and needs of consumers when it comes to the hospitality contributions. The Value Added Tax on for four and five-star hotels and their business operations across the country has been cut to six percent. Fraud on the hotels’ occupancy will no longer be tolerated, because we have accurate clear data as all hotels are fully booked during whole tourist season.
At the same time, we will avoid any vexing inspections at bars and restaurants, but everyone should think hard when deciding not to issue receipts for goods and services, because closing a restaurant for a month during the high tourist season, as the legislation stipulates, may cost you dearly when lying the consumer and state institutions. Let’s not forget that a zero tax rate is applied to small businesses with an annual turnover of 5 million lek. The tax rate on small business with turnover of 8 million lek is just five percent.
It would be good the youth group that will make up the backbone of the ground support for the tourist season for the municipalities further grows in numbers by mobilizing more human resources and contributions from the municipalities themselves, inviting youth groups to do these simple tasks, which will certainly add value to the process.
Since we observe an internal rule stipulating no cabinet member is allowed to vacate abroad, we will try to ensure that ministers and other authorities to patronize all those tourist areas along the coast line to do what we need in view of the support and assistance that each of us can provide to successfully realize this tourist season. Likewise, in order to make sure that all these mechanisms, which have a great potential, but which failed to coordinate and if not working together they cannot provide us the product we look for, take us where we want to go this season, which also from the point of view of health service, emergency service will be much better organized, not only because mobile units, which have been fully operational and have brought about a significant change, but also because every health care centre along entire coastline and tourist destinations will be reconstructed and available to holidaymakers.
Meanwhile, together with relevant ministers we will hold other planned meetings in the coming weeks and months either with the local government authorities, or other political, public and private structures involved in this process in order to fully explain our goals, the ways designed to reach these goals and fully explain why success of this process is could be achieve should each of us provides his contribution.
This is how it functions everywhere and this is, I hope and must be the way how it should function during this season too. The upcoming tourist season is a major challenge since the number of tourists will be higher like never before and it is necessary to ensure that Albania presents a dignified image at the border crossing points.This is why the Ministry of Interior is engaged not only in terms of what we have to do at any border point, but also in relation to all the countries with which we share land and sea border from where the tourists enter the country, so that we provide some welcome and long-awaited novelties that will set a foundation for further improving work in the coming seasons.
It is inevitable that people do what they have always done and it is very unlikely to be sanctioned for that job, as long as they do not have a clear and definite reference point and no one holds them accountable. A storm would suffice to send everything fly over the heads of the holidaymakers. It’s a very serious thing. We cannot solve them all in one season, but we can set some important milestones and move step by step towards their solution. The ministry and the minister himself are doing whatever it takes a single institution and a group of people can do, but this requires a broad range of experience and commitment. To this end, many introductory materials, guiding and promotional materials are prepared. It is us the Albanians who pollute Albania and not the foreign tourists, – for all Albanian patriots, to show patriotism in the first place, not throwing garbage everywhere. This is the most simple, but also the most significant and patriotic act for the mother earth.
Thank you very much and let’s all together continue this work, because I’m confident it is a worthwhile work and that will yield us desired results.
