Prime Minister Edi Rama shared the photo titled “The Girl with the Flag” on Saturday, writing that both Albanian and foreign photographers promote Albanian values through this international contest.

“The Girl with the Flag is the title of the photo, a close-up shot of a young girl and the Albanian national flag, by Soela Zani, one of the winners in Folklore category of the Wanderlust in Albania 2, with Albanian and foreign photographers promoting our values through competition,” Rama wrote.

The second edition of the “Wanderlust in Albania” International Photography and Video Reels Contest took place after success of the last year’s edition as an initiative aimed at promoting the country’s natural and cultural beauty through captivating imagery. The competition was open to both professional and amateur photographers worldwide.

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A total of 687 contestants from 40 countries across the world, from Australia to India, Japan, and China and all over Europe took part in the international competition, with their photos and reel featuring some of Albania’s most scenic and most beautiful attractions.

In her remarks at the event, the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, praised the initiative launched by the National Tourism Agency that hosted the international competition in record time.

“We decided for the competition to be an international one to allow photographers, who have visited Albania and many other countries around the world, show us some of our little-known attractions throughout the country. The photographs and reels feature a wide range of topics ranging from sunset Adriatic Sea to the traditional food and delicacies, from the folkloric and ethnographic elements to the map of various tourist destinations and attractions,” Kumbaro said.

Kumbaro noted that as many as 547,000 foreign tourists visited Albania in November alone and a total of 9.54 million arrivals visited the country since January, confirming that Albania is becoming a year-round destination.

She said that tourists are the best ambassadors of Albania.

On her part, the Director of the National Tourism Agency Zana Çela said that over 7000 photos were submitted as part of the competition.

Çela said that the winners of “Wanderlust in Albania” competed in 11 categories with two winners for each photo and video reel categories.

Winners of the “Wanderlust in Albania” are:

Landscape: Fation Plaku, Bleron Caka, Aldo Tare

Agritourism and culinary: Aldo Mustafa, Anxhi Çeliku and Mirela Andoni

Architecture: Ergys Temali, Elvis Vrioni and Adelina Marku

Monuments and archaeological sites: Nikolay Shabarkov (Bulgaria), Antonio Lombardi (Italy) Duli Kasmi

Folklore: Ardian Fezollari, Naxhie Elezi, Bjori Thana

Panoramic photos and videos: Dajana Reci, Altin Serani and Beatrice Chan

Craftsmanship: Mikaela Lala, Carolyn Perry and Thomas Hadinger

Ecotourism: Bleron Caka, Anxhi Çeliku, Thomas Hadinger

TEA application events: Idlir Abazaj, Ina Tepshi, Nurjana Mullaj

Reportage fotography: Albert Cmeta, Zeni Alla and Sara Zekaj

Sport tourism: Alket Islami, Aida Dhefto and Altin Serani

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The government head posted a collection of impressive images featuring some of Albania’s most scenic and most beautiful attractions, adding that 687 contenders from 40 across the world have submitted their entries.

“A wide geographical map of participants with 687 contestants from 40 countries across the world, from Australia to India, Japan, and China and all over Europe,” PM Rama said.

The Premier said that a gala ceremony for best photos and reels awards is scheduled to take place at the Palace of Congresses in Tirana on December 12.

The “Wanderlust in Albania” competition will be divided into 10 categories, with different themes:

Landscapes (natural, mountainous, coastal); 2. Panoramic photo (cities of Albania, tourist villages); 3. Archaeological monuments & sites (cultural monuments, castles, amphitheaters, museums and archaeological sites or protected by UNESCO); 4. Folklore (ethnography, dance, ritual, tradition); 5. Crafts & Crafts; 6. Agritourism & Culinary (traditional foods, hostels, agritourism); 7. TEA application events (festivals, local parties, concerts, artistic events, exhibitions etc.); 8. Sports Tourism & & Ecotourism (hiking, diving, mountaineering, kayaking, skydiving, flora & fauna, trails, parks); 9. Architecture (mosques, churches, medieval and new urban architecture); 10. Photo-reportage (which tells events from life).

In this competition through a jury of experts will be selected 300 photos and 100 videos of the most beautiful reels from Tourist Albania, with images that inspire travel and tourism, to enrich the archive fund of the National Tourism Agency, as the main promoter of rare nature, tradition, culture, art, and Albanian history, for anyone who wants to visit Albania. Participants in this international competition will have the opportunity to unleash creativity and share the emotions of Albanian magic and win special prizes.

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