Text : Janette LeHoux
Durres is Albania’s second largest city and largest major port. With a historic legacy which dates back to pre-Roman times, Durres is a veritable treasure trove of antiquities, with artefacts and monuments from the Illyrians to the Venetians to the Ottomans. In addition to its cultural attractions, Durres boasts some of the finest sand beaches of the Adriatic. Moreover, Durres is a great base from which one can explore Albania’s vibrant capital, Tirana, with its bright colors and bustling café scene, or the historic town of Kruja with its characteristic Ottoman architecture and traditional bazaar selling handicrafts from all over Albania.
With an estimated population of 300,000, Durres has been growing steadily since the fall of communism. The region has been developing at a rapid rate. Unfortunately, most of that development has come in the form of illegal building, especially in the coastal region, where there is massive tourism construction taking place. Currently thousands of tourists, mainly from other Albanian-speaking regions, flock to these massive hotels ; however there are many tourists, foreign and Albanian alike, who are seeking a more personal and unique experience.
Natyral per Njeriun (Nature for Humanity), a local environmental organization, has opened an office in 2005 to assist and promote cultural tourism as a way for tourists to enjoy this beautiful region for years to come. The office staff works as a liaison between the tourists and the families during the summer months, and works on promotion and advertising in the off-season.
Each year, hundreds of families offer room and board in their homes to tourists, with the option of taking their meals as well at the house. This gives them the opportunity to sample authentic Albanian cooking and to make face to face connections with the local culture, something which is not possible with conventional hotel tourism. Albanians are known for their hospitality, the way they welcome strangers into their homes as if they were a part of their families. Moreover, the families who live near the beaches of Durres come from all regions of Albania, and many of them have traditional costumes, musical instruments, and other items of interest from their hometowns. This is a wonderful way to learn about Albania’s rich cultural traditions and to create new friendships.
Contact
Mr. Fali Ndreka
Across from the Hotel Adriatik, next to the primary school
Durres, Albania
Tel. : +355 68 22 92 379
E-mail : natureforman@yahoo.com (Albanian, English) csdcdur@icc-al.org (English)
Managing Organization
Fali Ndreka, president of Natyra per Njeriun, arrived in Durres in 1999 from Dibra, a region in the Northeast of Albania known for its beautiful mountains and lakes. With a degree in biochemistry, Mr. Ndreka has always been interested the way management of natural resources affects the health and well-being of a community. Since his arrival in Durres he has been active in the community, raising awareness of environmental issues and promoting responsible use of natural resources. In addition to work in ecotourism, Natyra per Njeriun has worked with high schools, community groups, and international organizations in projects to sensitize the community to Albania’s environmental problems and to encourage people understand the world around them and use resources wisely.