Photo Credit: USAID/Albania   First-prize winner Bora Skënderi, 10, said: "Tirana is my home town and I love it. Through my painting, I wanted to share a piece of its beauty, history, and life. I wanted to show the foreigners how beautiful Tirana is."

Postcards Inspire Young Artists and Spark Interest in Albania

Young Albanians Lead Tourism Campaign
Postcards Inspire Young Artists and Spark Interest in Albania

April 15, 2005 | Tirana, Albania

Young Albanian painters and photographers want tourists to come and see how beautiful their country is.

A postcard competitions held last year produced hundreds of postcards designed by young Albanians between 9 and 18 years old showcasing Albania’s scenic countryside, quaint architecture, and colorful traditional costume. The cards are used in international fairs and tourism promotion events. 

 “The idea was for young people to design a postcard that presents the best of their home community to the world,” said Scott Wayne of the Enterprise Development and Export Market Services (EDEM), a USAID project that backed the competition.

The first prize went to 17-year-old Arjan Kadillari from Berat. His postcard depicting homes cast in a red sunset against a rugged mountain range, bears the title “Berat, one of Albania’s pearls.”
A southeastern European nation that is slightly smaller than Maryland, Albania shares a border with Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro. It also has a long and picturesque coast along the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

Albania is not yet considered a tourist destination. What little foreigners know about Albania is mostly negative, influenced by events such as the 1992 boat exodus to Italy or the political and economic chaos of the late 1990s.

Close to a decade later, the country is changed, Wayne said. The country has made significant progress toward democracy and a free econom, and some tourists--mostly Europeans--have started to come to Albania.  

“One of Albania’s greatest export potentials is the largely untapped tourist opportunities,” Mr. Wayne said. “A key element in promoting Albanian tourism includes developing a positive image of the country through targeted marketing and promotion efforts.”

Since 2003, EDEM has supported the growth of various business clusters in fields like tourism, and has worked with industries such as leather, foods, herbs and spices, and processed meats.
The project is one of many that USAID funds in the area of strengthening the competitiveness and increasing the exports of small and medium-sized Albanian businesses.

Hundreds of young people from 10 communities submitted 350 postcards for consideration. Entries were reviewed by a jury of tourism professionals who awarded digital cameras to the three first prize winners. Four consolation prize winners took home 35mm cameras.

One of the first prize winners, Bora Skënderi, 10, said:  “Tirana is my home town and I love it. Through my painting I wanted to share a piece of its beauty, history, and life. I wanted to show the foreigners how beautiful Tirana is.”

A runner up, Jeta Deda, 14, also from Tirana, said: “We are many from our generation who want to show Albania to the world. Our country is full of tradition, history, and beauty.”

The youngest contestant, who received a consolation prize, was Marjeta Teno, 9, from the southern city of Saranda.

Winning entries, posted in a photo album, can be seen online. http://www.Shqiperia.com/edemal/gallery.