Foreign visitors on Albania, an observation from the world press The beginning of the 70s of the 20th century

Abstract

The present article is an extension of an article published many years ago. It providesa fully colored image of Albania at the beginning of the 70s of the 20th century, as perceivedby foreign visitors. Turistic groups visiting Albania back then also included journalists or critical observers, who, after returning to their countries, published reports and different articles in the written press on their impressions of Albania, which was considered a castle of Markism-Leninism in Balkan. Such newspapers and magazines were translated by the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) and were provided in the format of Specific Bulletins only to those who were at the highest Party rank. First, the peculiarity of this article is its sources, namely the foreign press. Second, the observations, the consultations, and the analysis conducted by foreign visitors on isolated Albania, as it was perceived to the world, comprise both an original image and an innocent one. The way how we deal with these observations is as in a puzzle, thus positioning them one after the other, completing the image of Albania in the period subject to this study. French, Italian, Belgian, Swiss, Austrian, and Rumanian but also Japanese press reflect worldwide reports on the unknown Albania. The content of these journals was accompanied by photos taken very carefully by the tourists, who were under very rigid supervision. The research is based on a qualitative research methodology, resulting in collective, descriptive, evaluative, and analyzing research.