Greetings from Albania – The Youth of Albania Welcoming the World
P.O. box
Tirana
2004
Quality of benefit to the people of the desitination
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Tourism-related business
Urban, Rural, Coast, Mountain.
Establish community incentives
To present the best of Albania to the world through postcards created by the country’s young people.
By presenting the best of the country’s destinations, the youth are encouraging visitors to experience their home communities, thus helping to sustain the geographical character of these communities. Youth all across Albania are invited to design postcards that welcome visitors.
The approach is intended to be simple: encourage Albania’s young people to think about their home communities as places people from outside their communities would want to visit. The postcards are distributed online and through Albanian tour operators at international travel trade fairs as “Greetings from Albania” – invitations to visit and experience the best of their country.
The US Agency for International Development’s Enterprise Development and Export Market Services (EDEM) project has been the chief sponsor of the “Greetings from Albania” initiative. A corporate sponsor who can sustain the project beyond the life of the EDEM project, which ends in September 2008, would be ideal.
Raise awareness among the country’s young people of the value of protecting and preserving the cultural and natural heritage of their home communities and surroundings.
The first “Greetings” campaign was launched in September 2004 and was immediately a success with entries from 10 communities and over 350 postcards submitted. This is the fourth year that USAID has conducted the “Greetings from Albania” campaign which taps children's artistic talents to help promote Albania as an attractive, inviting tourist destination. This year, over 1,300 youth from 18 communities across Albania submitted drawings, paintings, and photographs. Winning entries are being used by the Albanian tourism industry in tourism events and the trade fairs across Europe to promote the image of the country. Images have also been used on Albanian postage stamps.
The postcards present destinations all across the country, thus raising awareness among visitors about places to visit in the country.
This year, over 1,300 youth from 18 communities across Albania submitted drawings, paintings, and photographs. Schools are actively involved in encouraging students to submit entries.
By encouraging young people to think about their home communities as places people might want to visit, they become more aware of preserving and protecting the local environment.
Not yet. <br>
A long term sponsor is needed who will fund the communications to sustain the initiative, travel expenses from rural communities to Tirana (the capital) for the winners and the modest prizes for the winners.
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The postcards could be sold by non-profit organizations and charities to raise money. The images are attractive and popular with the local travel industry.
Three local EDEM staff are the primary organizers. The EDEM project is the primary source of financing for the project.
Ideally, every community and school across the country would join the initiative. To enable this requires more extensive communications and collaboration with local government and non-governmental organizations.
Communicating with schools and communities throughout the country and managing the logistics of collecting the postcard images.
The Albania Enterprise Development and Export Market (EDEM) Services project is sponsored by the US Agency for International Development for the purpose of increasing the competitiveness of Albania in industries such as tourism. The ‘Greetings from Albania’ campaign was conceived as a way of addressing the lack of local concern about damage to the environment from a lack of solid waste management. It is intended to prompt young people to ask themselves the question: “Is this pile of garbage the image I want visitors to have of where I live?”
Cynthia Steen of DAI, contractor for USAID
The Albania Enterprise Development and Export Market (EDEM) Services project is sponsored by the US Agency for International Development for the purpose of increasing the competitiveness of Albania in industries such as tourism. The ‘Greetings from Albania’ campaign was conceived as a way of addressing the lack of local concern about damage to the environment from a lack of solid waste management. It is intended to prompt young people to ask themselves the question: “Is this pile of garbage the image I want visitors to have of where I live?”