The Chairwoman of the Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Committee, Ina Zhupa, held a meeting with maritime tourism operators in Vlora, where she learned up close about the problems they are facing in their activities.
According to Zhupa, entrepreneurs raised serious concerns related to the lack of places for mooring tourist boats, the lack of infrastructure for marine vehicles, problems with electricity and water, as well as open court processes for taxes that have already been waived by the Vlora Municipality itself.
The MP emphasized that these situations are harming the development of maritime tourism and the city's economy, while warning that she will address official requests to the Vlora Municipality to seek transparency and concrete solutions for tourism operators.
Ina Zhupa's full reaction:
Meeting with maritime tourism operators in Vlora.
What I heard from the marine tourism operators is a disturbing picture of the way the local government in Vlora is treating one of the most important sectors of the city's economy. Instead of the Municipality being on the side of entrepreneurs and facilitating their activity, it has become the main obstacle to their work and investments.
The operators brought concrete evidence, with specific cases and names, of a series of serious problems directly related to mismanagement and lack of will on the part of the Municipality of Vlora.
Among the main concerns raised were:
* Lack of places for mooring tourist ships, while the port has practically become a monopoly that excludes other operators.
* Lack of basic infrastructure for marine tourist vehicles.
* Operators who continue to face legal proceedings and bank account freezes for an unfair tax, which the Municipality itself has acknowledged as such by removing it with a decision of the Municipal Council. However, instead of making a decision to zero the fines and close this administrative absurdity, the Municipality continues to appeal even the decisions that the operators have won in the first instance.
* Vlora also lacks a means of emergency response at sea, an unacceptable situation for a coastal city that claims to be a tourist destination.
* Operators require port corridors and state support, including fuel subsidies, as is the case in many tourist destinations.
* Ongoing problems with electricity, water supply and lack of bases for their activity.
Even more worrying is the fact that even operators who have received legal decisions from relevant institutions, such as the KKT, the National Coastal Agency and the relevant ministries for approved base stations, face refusal to implement and unjustified obstacles from the Municipality of Vlora.
This approach doesn't just harm tourism operators; it harms the city's economy, the tourist season, and Vlora's image as a destination.
As a regional deputy and as the chairwoman of the committee responsible for tourism, I will address official requests to the Municipality of Vlora regarding each of these issues and I will demand transparency and institutional responsibility. The Municipality cannot continue to be an obstacle to entrepreneurship and tourism development.
Vlora's tourism operators deserve to have the conditions and support to work normally and contribute to the development of the city.
