Soraldo Nebo, the mussels tour guy, who heads the Visit Saranda tourism organization
Today, Soraldo is the head of the Visit Saranda organisation, an association with dozens of tourism business members working together to improve the tourism offer and raise awareness about tourism-related issues with the local authorities.
Changing direction
Soraldo started his studies in Tirana in 2008 to become an electronics engineer, but he soon had second thoughts. “I had higher expectations for my university studies and my dream profession, but after the first year, my passion faded away,” Soraldo recalls. Instead, he began thinking about what he could do for his hometown, where he saw tremendous potential. “In Tirana, I designed the first website of Ksamil as a tourist destination, and together with two friends, we were thinking about how to turn it into a business,” he explains. He needed a business plan and more time to focus on his initiative.
Despite his parents' expectations for him to complete university, Soraldo started to focus on his business in Ksamil, first with the website and then with the creation of tours and different itineraries, at a time when the only companies operating in Ksamil were hotels and restaurants. Among the various experiences, he also established the Mussels Tour, a tour through the nearby Butrinti Lake to introduce tourists visiting the Butrinti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to the homegrown mussels and the work of local farmers. Initially, he operated the tour under very challenging conditions, lacking the necessary equipment and relying on very limited human capacities.
Challenge fund
In 2019, he heard from a friend about the Challenge Fund, a funding opportunity part of the EU4Innovation programme funded by the EU. Together with Germany and Sweden, the programme seeks to improve Albania’s innovative ecosystem and boosts the creation of startups in the country.
After consulting with friends and financiers to draft a business plan and a budget, he applied and won. Through this fund, Soraldo could buy two boats, train the captain and the guides, equip them with guiding licenses, and purchase equipment and everything he needed to offer an attractive mussel tour in the lake.
“Having experienced two years of slowdown from the pandemic, work with the mussel tour resumed more successfully in 2021”, says Soraldo. He has registered the tour on international platforms such as Viator or Google Maps, and now requests are coming worldwide. “Today, the mussel tour on Trip Advisor is recommended as number 1 out of 25 outdoor activities you can do in Ksamil, and we recently received Trip Advisor's Travel Choice for 2023,” says Soraldo. This tour accompanies tourists to Butrinti Lake and introduces them at its history as part of the UNESCO site. The “Meet our Queen” introduces them to the blue mussel of Butrint lake through a traditional boat trip exploring the process of mussel cultivation where they will also get involved in cleaning the mussels and learn why this process is carried out. Then, they stop at an ecological guesthouse inside the protected national park of Butrinti, where they enjoy a tasty local lunch. As tourists experience a unique, local taste, their reviews are just excellent.
Next steps
Soraldo is moving on. For the last two years, he has invested in a family business, a restaurant that offers traditional cuisine, which is becoming very popular as well. “When I have time, I like to cook myself some dishes for tourists,” says Soraldo, revealing another of his hobbies. Ksamil made headline news worldwide this year, being dubbed the “Maldives of Europe”. Consequently, large waves of tourists flooded the place, raising concerns about the impact of mass tourism. “We are concerned about the quality of tourism, as Ksamil's reputation has recently been damaged by irresponsible businesses that value quick profits more than returning satisfied tourists. We are trying to address these issues with other stakeholders,” says Soraldo.
For a long time, Soraldo has been lobbying for various tourism issues, raising awareness on many topics. But now, he carries more weight in addressing multiple issues. He has been elected executive director of the Visit Saranda Tourism Association, an organization with business members in Ksamil and throughout Saranda, which aims to be the destination management organization in the region, including Konispol and Delvinë. “The purpose of this organization is to identify the problems of tourism in Saranda and draft recommendations and suggestions for the decision-making authorities to coordinate the efforts of businesses for better quality services, staff training, and a more well-thought-out promotion of tourism in this area,” he explains.
Soraldo learned about tourism by working, facing challenges, and trying to solve them. Today, he continues his master's studies for sustainable tourism and inspires young people who want to make year-round tourism in Saranda. He wishes there were more funded projects by international donors for sustainable tourism because it is urgent to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our nature, preserving our culture, and helping our communities' economic situation. “Sometimes, I imagine if Ksamil was like ten years ago, with the green hills surrounding the turquoise sea waters and the three islands like a souvenir crown above its head. I know I can't turn back the time, but I hope it is not too late to stop the destruction. The view is still spectacular; we need to change the mindset of how to do tourism.
