Kulla of Mazrekaj
I have worked with the guides of the Ethnological Museum in Prishtina to
develop artists residencies and a photography residency there, to share
the inspiration of Kosovo’s traditional crafts in new pieces of art
made by, with and for visitors; I have co-ordinated a training
programme for young people to become walking tour guides in Prishtina; I
have designed itineraries for official and unofficial visitors from the
UK, and through it all I have written enthusiastic emails home telling
my sometimes skeptical friends and family of the cultural treasures
Kosovo has to offer.
‘Tell us, tell us about the sights in Kosovo that will be new to us,’ say international visitors, eager for chances to see and experience peppers and pleqnars, çardaks and çiftelis.
‘Tell them, tell them about our shiny new buildings, our beautiful girls dressed in the latest imported fashions,’ say some of my Kosovan friends.
It is a fundamental mismatch of expectations, and it upsets me both ways. I do want to tell my friends from the UK about Pristina’s funky cafes with wifi and quality macchiato, but I know that there are hundreds of these in London. And I want to explain to my Kosovar friends that no tourist will come here just because it looks like Stuttgart or Manchester or any other city in Western Europe; no-one will take photographs of guys in jeans and trainers.
People who visit the UK from abroad come home with photographs of the 'traditional’ red buses (not the far greater number of coaches which look just like the ones pulling into Prishtina every day) and 600 year old castles (not the skyscrapers which are similar to, and not even as impressive as, Manhattan's). Tourists in London, and Londoners themselves love what makes London unique. At the moment not all Kosovars seem to feel the same way about their country. But if Kosovo is to attract the tourist, and the tourist dollar, there is a need for a self-confidence in the country’s ability to incorporate the best of modern culture, shared with other countries, while keeping hold of the best of its unique past which has created it as it is today.
When I was working on the kulla workshops I received an email in Albanian from someone I’d not met. ‘Ha ha! You’re going to charge stupid internationals 45 euros to sit in a kulla and eat a lump of fli and hear about Kosovo. Ha ha ha.’ it said.
Well yes, we did, and they paid it, and they came back for more, and the money went to further.investment in the village’s buildings and livelihoods. Tourism in Kosovo is no laughing matter.
If you would like to know more about any of the tourism opportunities mentioned in this article, contact Elizabeth on elizabethgowing 'at' hotmail 'dot' com
‘Tell us, tell us about the sights in Kosovo that will be new to us,’ say international visitors, eager for chances to see and experience peppers and pleqnars, çardaks and çiftelis.
‘Tell them, tell them about our shiny new buildings, our beautiful girls dressed in the latest imported fashions,’ say some of my Kosovan friends.
It is a fundamental mismatch of expectations, and it upsets me both ways. I do want to tell my friends from the UK about Pristina’s funky cafes with wifi and quality macchiato, but I know that there are hundreds of these in London. And I want to explain to my Kosovar friends that no tourist will come here just because it looks like Stuttgart or Manchester or any other city in Western Europe; no-one will take photographs of guys in jeans and trainers.
People who visit the UK from abroad come home with photographs of the 'traditional’ red buses (not the far greater number of coaches which look just like the ones pulling into Prishtina every day) and 600 year old castles (not the skyscrapers which are similar to, and not even as impressive as, Manhattan's). Tourists in London, and Londoners themselves love what makes London unique. At the moment not all Kosovars seem to feel the same way about their country. But if Kosovo is to attract the tourist, and the tourist dollar, there is a need for a self-confidence in the country’s ability to incorporate the best of modern culture, shared with other countries, while keeping hold of the best of its unique past which has created it as it is today.
When I was working on the kulla workshops I received an email in Albanian from someone I’d not met. ‘Ha ha! You’re going to charge stupid internationals 45 euros to sit in a kulla and eat a lump of fli and hear about Kosovo. Ha ha ha.’ it said.
Well yes, we did, and they paid it, and they came back for more, and the money went to further.investment in the village’s buildings and livelihoods. Tourism in Kosovo is no laughing matter.
If you would like to know more about any of the tourism opportunities mentioned in this article, contact Elizabeth on elizabethgowing 'at' hotmail 'dot' com
Comments (12)
Fatos Katallozi
said:
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... THERE IS A LOT TO DO IN YEARS TO COME TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE TOURISM IN KOSOVA, BUT KOSOVARS ARE A BIT LAZY AT THIS POINT AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND IMPORTANCE OF THIS INDUSTRY. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE LOTS OF RESTAURANTS, AND MOST OF THEM SERVE THE SAME INTERNATIONAL FOOD, BUT VERY FEW OF THEM WOULD SERVE THE TRADITIONAL FOOD AND DRINKS. THE IMPORTANT THING IS OF COURSE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND TO BE WELL ORGANIZED. THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER SMALL BITS THAT ARE IMPORTANT... |
Michael Gibson
said:
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... I have just come back from a visit to Kosova for three days. I flew standby on a staff ticket with British Airways. and I can quite honestly say i have never been to a friendlier place. Ever. I made the effort to learn some Albanian (BBC Quickfix is very good) and whenever I tried it out, people were very happy to let me mangle it, and show me the right way to speak it. I took the In Your Pocket guide and this was very good. I am going back in February, back to the place that has stolen a bit of my heart; Kosova. |
Apollo
said:
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... An excellent article, thanks Ms. Gowing. I have read all the posted comments and can't really disagree with any of them. Like many, I'm often the bigest critic of my country - Kosovo, simply because I want it to look better. One of the reasons I like this article is because it looks at things from another perspective, a positive one. Instead of us complaining (which we do not hesitate to do at all) about the garbage, electricity, water and other disfunctional issues, we (including the foreigners working here/temporary residents) must do something for a change (YES, the people's way of thinking can be changed, as the matter of fact it started and there are already many examples to proof this). I can't justify our lack of care towards the environment, but I am sick and tired of people spreading negative energy around, calling the place hopeless! It affects people's attitude and behaviour. We certainly need more people thinking like Ms Gowing. |
International in Kosova
said:
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... Dont get me wrong. I really like the people in Kosova. As for travelling here, it safe enough. In fact, it is probably safer here than in most european cities. But tourism goes beyond that. There is nothing in Kosova that you cant find elsewhere but with better food, no garbage and probably safer driving conditions. Kosova needs to find something that makes it special and different and I am no specialist in that area. But before you do this you need to fix the more mundane problems ... electricity, garbage, roads ... work. And I dont mean 50 coffeeshops per 100m of road, but rather something more sustainable longterm. The service sector (ie the part which caters the internationals currently in kosova) needs to be regulated ... its overinflated- When/if the internationals leave this sector will collapse and then you start from scratch again. Get the infrastructure running, law and order uo to european standards... then you will see the big business take interest and start pouring money into the country which inturn will create jobs. I spoke to students at the uni. of pristina, and they seemed to consider corruption the biggest problem and that the solution to kosova's problems was to allow kosovars to work in the EU ... ie brain drain and a shortterm solution. The kosovar people must readjust and think longterm rather than shortterm ... and think community rather than family. Its a big mouthful and i dont know how to do this ... i certainly dont think that internationals like myself will be able to change them. I doubt anyone knows the answer, but like other internationals I am willing to help and advice. The country deserves better than whats here now. |
Kreshnik Vata
said:
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... Visit Kosovo - just do it! Mr. International, you are mentioning a very important point. Your description is true indeed. How comes? One should know that everything official and public property had a repressive character in Kosovo for decades. People could rely only on their family and were only free in their own yard. I think therefore the clean and well kept private property. A private-public cooperation or accepantce of mutual responsibility has to start from the first level. eg. paying of energy-bills, not waste water.... The "free-rider" positions (private gain - public burder) is attractive, since there is still no sanctions, due to a lack of institutional efficiency. Maybe the "Internationals" themeselves were not always glorious in promoting corporative responsibility in Kosovo. Nevertheless Albanians themselves have to come to the point to set and keep rules how to deal with each other and how to treat nature. In short: this garbege stands as a symbol for public institutions, health-care system, education and infrastructure. The lovely (private!) yards and well kept private property, I think shows that Albanians are commited workers and in a vast majority extraordinary hospitably -So dear backpackers, you don't have to sleep in an expensive hotel in Kosovo, just ask in a private house. Don't hesitate, we are always prepared for guests and feel honoured by every visitor. I'll bet you'll find good accomodation, delicious food and make friends for life. Of course all for free. Take me by the word: Just do it ! |
International in Kosova
said:
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... Kosova as a tourist destination. I dont see it happening. The people are friendly, the food is edible and the scenery can be stunning. BUT The Kosovars treat their own country as a garbage dump. I have never seen so much garbage dumped EVERYWHERE. Plastic bags, bottles, kitchen garbage and the universal method of dealing with this is FIRE. You dump your garbage at the side of the road and when the pile gets big enough you light in on fire. The trouble with this is the cats and dogs rumagiing thru and scattering it everywhere. Even areas that are relatively far from housing has garbage thrown everywhere. I dont understand it. If you are privledged to enter a kosovar house you wil find it to be immaculately clean ... dont forget to remove shoes before entering. In fact, most stores are the same ... cleaning cleaning cleaning ... this far exceeds normal western standards. But still they treat their country like garbage ... and it will take years if not decades to fix this and quite frankly a change in their thinking ... if that is possible. But then again, garbage could be a tourist attraction ... ie how not to treat your country. |
Owen
said:
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... Come off it, Alo Alo. You assume your own cultural innocence while condemning everyone else for their semantic imperialism. Try a bit of self-reflection or else just get a life. |
MN, USA
said:
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... I think some people assume that Kosovo will declare its independence and suddenly be a booming attraction for travelers. Calm down, it takes time, people! I personally admire and applaud Miss Gowing's efforts. I hope to visit Kosovo some day, and I am sure that I will be pleasantly surprised. When I went to Paris, everyone told me that it smelled and the people were insufferably rude. I found it to be exactly the opposite. If nothing, Kosovo can definitely offer the unique chance to take part in the progress of this blossoming country. |
alo alo
said:
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... yes when i go to london i do take a picture of the red double deckers and the telephone booths and the statuesque guards but clearly this is in no way the same as a brit or any other westerner going to Kosova and seeking the authentic exotic "other" to photograph. the orientalist discourse often reproduced by tourism in places such as Kosova and Albania is disturbing. one that damns the country and its people to stagnation if not regression to the "traditional" for the sake of a couple of bucks from tourists who seek wonder and more so need to affirm their expectations of a backwards place and people. thank but no thanks |
Owen
said:
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... Nice article, and very good points made about matching expectations. The crucial thing is to ensure that the visitor has been made to feel welcome. Steffi makes a good point about backpackers being the advance guard of your tourist industry. They'll also be ambassadors to the outside world for you if you treat them well. |
Ramiz
said:
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... Wonderful article Ms. Gowing, I totally agree with the facts you pointed out about Kosovo tourism. It is sad that our new government has not done anything yet officially to attract foreign visitors and create a department that will promote our culture and values and points of interest that people can visit. There are tons of places to visit in Kosovo but we lack an organized system that would wait for foreign visitors and give them tours or at least point them to the right direction. I am thankful to you and all the people of good-will that are working hard on this direction and are trying to show to the rest of the world the uniqueness that Kosovo has to offer. |
Steffi C.
said:
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... Kosovo is interesting but the price-performance ratio is not approriate. To me (backpacker) it turned out to be more expensive than most countries in the region, It's even more expensive than Greece. The power and water supply-interruptions can be very bothering. I think Kosovo should do more to become more attrective for backpackers, since Kosovo can not be recommended (yet) to families, although there is horse farms around Peja. Honestly, compared to Montenegro, Macedonia (e.g. Ohrid) and Albania and considering Kosovo's poor infrastructure there is not much to gain in tourism in Kosovo. |
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