My Desire to Develop Tourism in Berat Helped Me Succeed in Albania

Many hot days are coming, and we’ll dedicate them to the little things, really to the little things. For example, we’ll want to visit the small town of Berat, which is truly a paradise for us in central Albania. A city with rich history, culture, and great food and wine.

Berat is located on the slopes of Mount Tomor and on the banks of the Osum River. The city itself is formed by two fortresses on either side of the river. It is one of the oldest settlements in Albania, with traces of life dating back to 2600 to 1800 BC.

There is so much to tell about its history, and to learn more, our honest advice is to visit the city. But to visit, there must be a reason that will attract you to go there.

The reason you might want to visit this place is our story about Mr. Pelumb Berberi, who gladly agreed to share with us his life’s dreams.

Berberi is the founder of the Belagrita Hotel and the Luani Winery, both of which should definitely be on your list of places to visit. As a young man, Berberi had a great desire and passion to promote the values of his hometown, Berat.

He tells us how, back in 1993, together with his brothers, he took over the operations of the then largest winery in Albania, which was founded in 1960. At that time, the winery was named 'Luani,' which translates to 'Lion,' in honor of one of the brothers.

Over time, their winery grew into a leading producer of quality wine, which eventually began to be exported to the United States.

He mentions that their production capacity reached up to 5 million liters of wine, making them the largest producers in Albania, with an average annual sale of 1 million bottles.

After nearly 6 years of dedicated work, he opened the Belagrita Hotel to welcome tourists from all over the world. Berberi explains that the hotel adheres to the highest standards in order to offer quality stays for guests.

This hotel was built as part of the Luani Winery, and when we asked him why the name 'Belagrita,' he replied that it is one of the oldest names the city of Berat has ever had, which translates to 'beautiful city.

One of the reasons for building this hotel was to strengthen the promotion of the best values of Berat and Albania.

Berberi says that he does not believe he will stop with these projects. In the future, he plans to invest in various sectors of tourism. He emphasized that the winery must continue, and in the future, he will focus more on agritourism.

We agreed that working in tourism has its advantages and disadvantages. When tourism is thriving, everyone is happy and satisfied: travelers on one side and tourism workers fulfilled by the satisfaction of the guests on the other.

Berberi did not forget to mention our friendships and the good communication with Balkan Prime Tours, which is proof that tourism is a bridge connecting all the Balkan nations.

Walking through the story he shared about his work reminded us of our friendship. For him, knowing people from Macedonia is a significant part of tourism and a real treasure.

Berat is also known as the "City of a Thousand Windows." It is home to 40 Byzantine churches and 30 mosques. It is considered the hottest city in Albania, and due to its pleasant climate, it produces exceptionally tasty and high-quality vegetables, fruits, and grapes. Olives from the Berat region are a very popular and essential ingredient in traditional dishes, while cold-pressed olive oil from Berat is exported worldwide.