Rama brings the example of Portugal: We will continue with investments in luxury tourism
2026-06-06 14:49:09
TiranaPost
Prime Minister Edi Rama has brought to attention the luxury tourism model in Portugal, describing it as a successful example of economic development and sustainable promotion of tourist destinations.
Through a public response during these days of protests, Rama stressed that Albania will continue with the investment plan in the tourism sector, with the aim of attracting more visitors and increasing the quality of the tourist offer. According to him, the development of elite tourism remains one of the main priorities for the country's economy and will be accompanied by strategic investments in areas with high potential.
"When talking about development in protected areas, many present the debate as a forced choice between nature and the economy.
But there are places that show that the reality may be completely different.
Ria Formosa, in southern Portugal, is one of the most important lagoons in Europe. A unique landscape with flamingos, migratory birds, sand islands, coastal dunes and an extraordinary biodiversity.
And it was there, in the heart of this landscape, that Portugal built one of the most successful stories of economic transformation in Europe.
A few decades ago, the Algarve was a peripheral region, with an economy based mainly on agriculture and fishing, with low incomes and high emigration. Instead of following the model of low-value mass tourism, Portugal made a strategic choice: it invested in luxury and high-value tourism.
Thus were born destinations like Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo, located near one of Europe's most important ecosystems.
Not against nature.
Thanks to nature.
The result?
• Billions of euros of private investment.
• Thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
• Significant increase in property value.
• Much higher income per tourist.
• A tourist season that lasts all year round.
• Transforming the Algarve into one of Europe's most prestigious destinations.
And in the meantime:
The flamingos are still there.
The migratory birds are still there.
The lagoon is still there.
Even biodiversity itself has become part of the tourism product. Visitors don't go to the Algarve despite the Ria Formosa. They go because of it.
The lesson is simple.
The question is not whether nature and development can coexist.
The question is whether we have the vision, knowledge, and will to make them coexist.
Because wealth is not created by choosing between nature and development.
Wealth is created when nature becomes part of development and development becomes an ally of nature.
Ria Formosa is proof that this is not theory.
It is a success story that can be seen with the naked eye.
SO, WE HAVE PAID ENOUGH TRIBUTE TO OUR 100 YEARS OF FOOLISHNESS!
"THE REBORN TOURIST ALBANIA WILL ENTER THE WORLD TOURISM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND EUROPE AND THE WORLD WILL FINALLY VALUE US AS A BLESSED, NOT A CURSED, COUNTRY🇦🇱🦩🇪🇺," Rama writes.
