Irena Beqiraj
Tourism is described by the government as a modern "heavy industry", a powerful engine for economic growth. Although I doubt the government believes what it says!
Since 2015, when the face of Englantina Gjermeni could not find peace whenever she was in front of the super minister Ahmetaj who collected fields of dependence like antiques, tourism has not found a place. At first it was attached to urbanization, then the economy, then the environment and finally culture.
Every day more and more, although with difficulty, the public is understanding that tourism is the workhorse of development and an excellent means of propaganda. History shows us that autocratic leaders are known for using tourism as a means of propaganda.
For example, the Nazis welcomed tourists to the Third Reich, masking their preparations for war with the superficial but positive impressions of tourists. While Hitler's military preparations were complete, the perception of foreign tourists that Nazi Germany posed no threat to world peace was vital. For Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda chief, welcoming tourists was "peace in its purest sense".
For Franco of Spain, too, tourism was "an effective form of propaganda" that could demonstrate "the legitimacy of Spain as an economic and social model." Tourists were a good opportunity to propagate "the progress, order and tranquility of Franco's Spain".
But a recent study by Marko Jukic, an analyst at Bismarck Analysis at Palladium, uses Croatia as a powerful example to prove that a nation cannot develop on tourism. To reach Switzerland’s GDP per capita ($100,000), Croatia would need to host a staggering 1.93 billion tourist nights per year. In 2024, it recorded 85 million.
To reach Germany's GDP per capita ($56,000), Croatia would need to increase its current tourist traffic fivefold, while tourists would need to spend twice as much. That's not difficult - it's a mathematical and logistical impossibility.
Why can't tourism be an economic driver?!
1) Low productivity: Unlike manufacturing or technology, the main tourist services have little room for automation or significant technological improvements. It is an industry whose productivity level has remained unchanged for centuries.
2) A sector of the consumer economy that consumes natural resources: While other sectors can scale globally, tourism uses limited local natural resources: beaches, cities. As tourism grows, it consumes these resources, putting pressure on everything from real estate to social cohesion.
3) Extremely vulnerable sector: Tourism is highly vulnerable to international crises, from pandemics and wars to economic recessions. In contrast, industries like technology and manufacturing can innovate and adapt, creating value even in difficult times. This is why developing countries are trying to build their wealth on high-value exports and services.
But what's worse, the tourism economy creates a two-tier society: a small elite that controls real estate and a low-skilled workforce.
This model neither builds productive capital nor develops the human resources needed to adapt to new technologies.
Being a waiter or a room rental owner cannot be the future this country deserves!
