Is Croatia finally about to be connected to Albania by land AND sea?
Croatian tourism is booming, and the country is benefiting from increased air connections from all over the globe, with direct flights from North America, Asia and the Middle East all helping to transport tourists to its beaches and cities.
One country closer to home which has traditionally had very poor connections to Croatia is also about to see improved connections – Albania.
The small Balkan country is a neighbour of Croatia, sharing the same coastline with just Montenegro in the middle, and yet transport between the two is currently limited to driving through Montenegro, a jouney which can take anything between 6 and 16 hours, depending on traffic on Montenegro’s notoriously poor roads in season, as well as border delays in peak season (this correspondent has plenty of horror stories).
According to Business Standard on February 13, 2016, this looks set to change, with not only flights between the two capitals Tirana and Zagreb under discussion, but agreement apparently reach to connect the two countries by sea, from the main Albanian port of Durres (a half-hour drive to Tirana) and Dubrovnik:
“Albanian Transport and Infrastructure Minister Edmond Haxhinasto met Croatia’s newly appointed ambassador to Albania, Sanja Bujas Juraga, to discuss bilateral cooperation in transport.
“Both sides agreed on planning a meeting of the joint commission on transport.
“The two sides agreed to establish a new sea line linking Albania’s biggest port Durres with Croatia’s southern port of Dubrovnik.”
