Korça without reservations, minibuses raise ticket prices by up to 40%: The impact of the road closure

Korçë, the city of serenades, skiing in Dardhë, and relaxing by the lake in Pogradec remain among the most preferred weekend options for many residents of Tirana and other Albanian cities.

However, the closure of the Librazhd–Përrenjas road following landslides has caused these cities to empty of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Hospitality and restaurant businesses in Korçë and Pogradec unanimously state that since Saturday, after the Librazhd–Përrenjas axis was blocked, they have been facing a lack of new weekend reservations. They consider the road closure an event that “cut off” the southeast from the rest of Albania, due to the interruption of the main road connection and the temporary isolation of the area.

Sokrat Tasho, representative of the “Ski-Pista Bigëll” resort in Dardhë, told Monitor that on Sunday—one day after the road blockage—visitors immediately cleared out the ski slope and the lodging villas.

“The blocking of the Librazhd–Përrenjas axis ‘cut off’ Korçë from Tirana, as most of our clients are domestic tourists. The main share comes from visitors from Tirana. The number of foreign tourists is lower compared to locals, mainly due to our limited accommodation capacity. So the primary visitors to the ski slope are from Tirana. While the number of visitors was normal on Saturday, by Sunday, immediately after the road closure, the slope and the villas were completely empty.

Many local clients were disoriented, as they did not know which alternative route to use to return to Tirana, while others hesitated to travel back through North Macedonia because they did not have their passports or ID cards with them. Foreign tourists, on the other hand, appeared calmer, as they mostly travel by camper vans.”

At the resort, in addition to the ski slope one of the earliest facilities of its kind built in Albania accommodation is also offered in wooden villas. The resort owns nine wooden cabins which, under normal circumstances in February, due to the cold weather and the presence of snow, are always fully booked, both during weekdays and on weekends.

Sokrat Tasho says that currently there is not a single tourist staying in the wooden cabins, nor has he received any new reservations. He predicts that the lack of visitors will continue in the coming days, until the road is repaired.

“No one from Tirana is willing to make the effort to come ski on the slopes of Dardhë and travel an itinerary that can take up to six hours. It was the proximity to Tirana that influenced the frequent visits to the ski slope,” Mr. Tasho emphasized.

The situation is similar for hotel bookings in Pogradec and for restaurants with live music in Korçë.

Representatives of “Vila Cofiel,” well known in the city of Korçë for offering traditional local cuisine and weekend serenade music evenings, also state that they have not received any new reservations, whereas under normal circumstances weekend bookings would be fully closed by Monday.

“Overall, in the city of Korçë there is a noticeable lack of tourists due to the road closure. The road blockage ‘cut off’ Korçë from the rest of Albania. For our restaurant, weekend reservations are always completed by Monday.

And this happens in every season, both summer and winter. However, for this week we have not received a single new reservation, and I believe this is due to the road closure.”

The phone is not ringing for new reservations in hotels in the city of Pogradec either.

Markel Bimbli from “Vila Bimbli” in Pogradec told Monitor that so far he has not received any new bookings for weekend hotel stays.

Bimbli says that the booking season for accommodation in Pogradec usually begins in March, but even during winter, although fewer in number, weekend reservations are normally present mainly from visitors from Tirana.

“Despite being fewer, during this period there are usually weekend hotel bookings. I believe the total absence of new reservations has been influenced by the road closure. For many people, traveling through alternative routes is not convenient, as it takes longer and involves additional costs especially if traveling through North Macedonia, where you must also obtain vehicle insurance.”

Vegetable prices rise by up to 50%

Meanwhile, the road closure has also affected the supply of food products. In the market of Pogradec, consumers report vegetable price increases ranging from 20% to 50%.

Brunilda Shpendi, a teacher in the city, says that the price of cucumbers has risen from 200 lek/kg to 300 lek/kg. Tomatoes have increased from 200 lek to 250 lek/kg, while peppers have gone up from 200 lek/kg to 250 lek/kg.

“There is a shortage of products in circulation in the market. Most of the goods we trade come from imports. The road situation has disrupted our work; we are unable to bring in sufficient quantities of goods, and above all, transport costs are now higher,” traders say, emphasizing that transport difficulties are being directly reflected in consumer prices.

In some cases, there has also been a price increase of up to 40% for minibus tickets on the Tirana–Korçë route.

But when will the new road be built?

To restore access to the southeast, the Autoriteti Rrugor Shqiptar has committed to building a new road axis along the Shkumbin River. However, no deadline has yet been given for the completion of these works or for when travel to the southeastern cities via the Librazhd axis will be fully restored.

“KORÇA BOOM”