At the invitation of Gjergj Konda, Former Minister and Deputy Minister of Economy, and his wife Laura, my daughter and I visited Albania in early September 2025. We arrived at 10 pm at the busy airport of Tirana. Our host was waiting for us to take us to their apartment. As we exited the airport parking lot, we merged into a heavy traffic heading to the center of Tirana, the capital of Albania. Visiting Albania after 34 years, I was shocked by the changes, wondering if I was visiting the same country or not.
In the early nineties, many countries of Central Europe and Central Asia started their economic reforms to the market economy. During 1991-1992 I was Albania Country Officer for the Word Bank. I was part of the Europe and Central Asia Department, headed by Kemal Dervish. For more than 400 years, the Ottoman Empire had ruled the Balkans, including Albania. It was believed that some of Kemal’s ancestors were Albanian. Therefore, Kemal had a soft spot for Albania and the Albanians. He genuinely believed that the Bank would have a tremendous impact on the country, because Albania is a small economy, it lies in the heart of Europe, and its population is well educated and ready to cooperate with multilateral institutions to change the economic system from a centralized to a market economy. The country’s communist regime collapsed in the early nineties, since it could not sustain its failing economy. Soon after, the IMF, World Bank, EBRD and other international institutions and countries were in Albania, ready to help in its transformation.
On my first mission to Albania, I was shocked by what I saw: country wide landscape dotted with bunkers, for soldiers waiting to defend their country from invading USA (of course, that never took place); empty streets, except for a few old trucks coughing black fumes, empty shelves in the few stores open, primitive agricultural practices, machinery in factories that no longer operated, and traumatized people trying to survive and make sense of what is happening all around them. Kemal focused on Albania to a great extent, so our Department was jokingly referred to as the Albania Department. Experts (including the Bank’s chief economist Larry Summers) were consulted on issues to move forward and missions from the Bank were dispatched to Albania to work with the Albanian government on every aspect of the economy, in coordination with the IMF, EBRD and other donors. We were housed in villas that formerly belonged to senior party officials and our food was imported from Italy. On a visit to the Zoo in Tirana, tears swelled in my eyes when I saw the emaciated animals, with their bones sticking out of their skins.
Because of my multiple visits to the country I got to know many of the officials and ordinary people. I fell in love with the Albanians because of their kindness, generosity, great sense of humor and history. They reminded me of my own people in the Middle East. Often, as I was about to depart, the guards at the airport would allow me to go on the tarmac and talk to arriving officials, both domestic and foreign.
Thirty-three years later, on my recent trip, I could not believe my eyes. The airport is no longer small, with one or two flights a day. Every year, from Mother Tereza airport in Tirana more than 10 million passengers fly with destinations to all main cities in Europe. The highways are wide with many cars driving across the country. In Tirana, you see many highrise buildings designed by prestigious international architectural firms, where malls and casinos were competing for space. Grocery stores were selling fruit, vegetables, meat and fish and all kinds of sweets with very competitive prices. People were out everywhere, along with tourists enjoying the wonderful Mediterranean weather and the music in the large square in the center of Tirana with the statue of Skanderbeg. He was a 15th century legendary military leader, who defeated the Ottoman armies for 25 years, protecting Europe from the Ottoman invasion.
On a drive to Berat city in central Albania, we passed by several beautiful small towns. We finally got to Berat and climbed to the top of the mountain, where a well-preserved castle and our hotel stood. Berat Castle is a historical fortress in Berat, with ancient origins from 4th-5th century BC. It is one of the few castles in Europe that remains inhabited to these days and is a UNESCO World Heritage. There were about 20 churches within its walls, most of them built during the 13th century. In the evening, the four of us had a sumptuous dinner with wine and beer, all for the sum of $35. The next day, we descended the mountain, viewed Berat from the valley and enjoyed the city’s mosques, churches and unique tiered houses that line the hillside. Berat is also known as “the city of one thousand windows”, a nickname that comes from the distinctive architecture of its old Ottoman era. We continued driving to Durres and were fascinated by the buildings that had risen up along the sandy beach.
As I was leaving Albania, I bumped into three young ladies at the airport. They had been hiking in the northern mountains of Albania. They told me that lots of hiking groups were all over the place. After what I had already seen and experienced, I was not surprised. Tourists have finally discovered Albania. Its mountains, beaches, culture and affordable prices compare to Greece and Turkey. Jared Kushner is planning to build a high-end resort on one of the Albanian islands.
While flying back to the US, my thoughts went back to Kemal and my other colleagues working on Albania during its early years of transition. Even in our wildest dreams we would never think that one day Albania would become the country that I visited. I wonder if I will ever be able to afford going to Albania in the future after further masses of tourists discover that jewel of the Balkans.
Huda Kraske is a member of the 1818 Society who retired from the World Bank in 1997 and now lives in Chevy Chase, MD.
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KEYWORDS Albania, Balkans, Berat, Kemal Dervish, tourists
