The competition ran on social media channels www.visit-tirana.com, Instagram @visit_tirana, and Facebook #VisitTirana from March to May 2017. More than 400 photos were submitted by fans and followers using the hashtag #TiranaSpring. The images represented different parts of our city: the city center filled with spring flowers, the rural areas turned green after the winter, the people walking and enjoying this season etc.

The first 50 best photos were selected based on the number of likes on social media channels, and then #VisitTirana staff chose the first top ten and the three winners. This was not purely a photography competition but rather a mix of criteria; we were looking to promote different aspects of Tirana life in the city or rural areas as capturing people and emotions. In rewarding young people, Visit Tirana collaborated with tourism businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, tour operators, and cinemas.

Winners

The winners of #TiranaSpring social media competition were announced during a ceremony held at Reja, 30 May 2017, just by the end of Spring.

The first prize was given to Rovena Plaku for her photo in the people category: an old couple walking hand in hand in the main park of Tirana Lake.

The first prize won a lunch for four people at Xheko Imperial, one of the most modern restaurants in Tirana, with a beautiful terrace.

The second prize was given to Aldo Bonata for his photo of biking in the narrow streets of rural Tirana. Aldo won an adventure tour around Tirana with Klub Discover Albania for two people.

The third prize went to Russian photographer Alla Simacheva for her picture of the spring in the heart of Tirana city. The third prize was four tickets from Cineplexx, a 3D movie in Albania.

Ceremony

The event was held in a fantastic atmosphere at Reja, the installation site from Fujimoto, which became a popular attraction in Tirana. We were honored to have the mayor of Tirana, Mr. Erion Veliaj, who has supported Visit Tirana since the beginning of our project, in this awarding ceremony.

Erion Veliaj praised our work for promoting Tirana: He says that at the beginning, when we started to do some work in Tirana, there were a few advocates, such as Visit Tirana. The other part was hysteria against several new attractions such as Reja, which is now very popular, or Bunkart, House of Leaves, the most visited place in Tirana.

Tirana Spring is the second social media contest. We will continue to promote everything beautiful from our city because, as Erion Veliaj said in a joke about a camel, ‘we love our camel, ie. Tirana, and we have to promote it to sell it”. We feel optimistic and want to show the world exactly the enthusiasm, the best spirit of our people, and the great transformation we see in Tirana every day.

Spring is the most preferable time for tourists visiting Tirana. According to INSTAT, the number of tourists doubled in April and May compared to last year.