Gjirokastra, the city that welcomes tourists like Christ, and treats them like a sheikh

Gjirokastra has produced more news about the "tourist boom" this summer, but fewer tourists.

"They are 30% less," says a first-hand source from Qafa e Pazarit. There is no conspiracy. The hot summer is not the cause either.

"The tourist is not stupid," says Skënder.

In Qafë-Pazar, where a bottle of beer costs 5 thousand lekë and four qifqi, the famous qifqi, 10 thousand lekë, it seems as if the city has not yet understood a basic rule of tourism: that tourists should not be intimidated.

The people of Gjirokastër are proud and thrifty. So thrifty that all the stingy anecdotes from all over the globe are attributed to the people of Gjirokastër. It is true that they are stingy, but surprisingly they expect others to give freely. Especially “those who come from Tirana”, who have become the best customers.

 “It's a matter of culture,” says a small bar owner. “Foreigners are not stupid. Instead of 5 thousand lek in Qafë i Pazarit, they buy beer at the market and drink it on the streets.”

Meanwhile, the city, as Rigels admits, lives with a wrong tourist mentality: some think that all they have to do is open the door of their house and all the tourists from the world will come there.

Prices skyrocket. 100 euros hotel? Yes, even in Paris you can find cheaper.

1 kg of roasted meat? 34 thousand lek.

For a family with two incomes at home, even a dinner out is a luxury.

In the end, only Dauti's birector works full-time.

The conversation moves further.

Compare Corfu's offer with Saranda! 

Patriotic tourism is gone, because Kosovars go to Thessaloniki and not to Saranda.

A week's vacation here costs 4-5 thousand euros, while in Greece it costs 1500.

The level of service does not match the prices.

reflection 

After three years of rising prices, the unexpected has happened: the finger of blame has turned on itself.

In conversations with local journalists, business owners, and citizens, sincere tones are heard:

"We thought the tourist was stupid, but he's not"

"What can you say about a city where teachers grab you by the jacket: 'Oh, come register because our branch is closing?!'"

The University of Gjirokastra has no more than 200 enrollments per year, while there used to be 3,000 - 4,000 enrollments.

A city without theater, without sports.

- He has the neck of a bazaar!

-Very good, but too late

- Can't you see that there are no children? Even the young people want to run away.

Gjirokastra is the only city with negative population growth.

How much has the city changed?

"Gjirokastra is not changing, but the houses have turned into guesthouses. The infrastructure of the characteristic part has changed."

"The city has a paradox: it has developed and emptied," says Aleksandar, and the painful comparison is with Saranda.

Saranda has a population of 55 thousand.

Gjirokastra has less than 20 thousand inhabitants.

The numbers are stubborn.

Characteristic houses are being turned into hostels while new neighborhoods are "dead".

And yet, the question that does not receive optimistic answers is:

What will Gjirokastra be like in 5 years?

 “Like Memaliaj,” says a resident. “Abandoned.”

The city has been on the UNESCO list for 20 years. But… there is no tourist information point.

Cleaning machines operate during visiting hours.

And the news of the day: "Tourism boom in Gjirokastra."

 Perfect cynicism. A more imaginary boom over a city that is emptying day by day.

"And when we talk about prices, we must be clear," says Skënder, "that we are not Prague."

A cynical city poet once wrote:

"I loved my homeland because of my father."

May the soul shine there in heaven.

What did this rock like?

"Maybe he'll tell me when he's alone."

To break the pessimism, I ask them to say something nice to me.

What's good about the city?

Memories.

But the city cannot live on nostalgia alone. The famous cobblestones, the small windows, the narrow streets that visitors comment on, associating them with the frugal nature of the people of Gjirokastër, are not enough to keep the economy alive.

In Gjirokastra, there is no lack of pride, history, or stones. Only patience is missing.

Foreign tourists are rational. Those who come are not fools. And those you consider fools when they leave, never come back.

And when even the people of Gjirokastra say:

"We've overdone it with prices," is a sign that the stone city has begun to wake up.

Because even UNESCO cannot save a city that sells itself as a museum, and that treats tourists with a kiosk mentality!