While welcoming the extension of curfew-hours that revitalized their trust in a fruitful tourist season, bars and restaurants along the ‘Lungomare’ waterfront boardwalk are being faced with yet another restriction mandated by authorities, which forces them to only run their music events until 20:00 p.m.
They claim that this decision has penalized their businesses, whose highest attendance is during these hours and they are asking for the extension of curfew-hours to at least 22:00 p.m. because music is an important component of their businesses.
“This kind of limitation, forcing us to stop playing music at 20:00, has left people a bit astonished, because at the moment when everyone is expecting more relaxed measures or a broader opening of the curfew hours and life in general due to the pandemic, we are faced with these kinds of guidelines, which have resulted in discontent from our clientele, our business as well as citizens taking walks in the Lungomare,” says Gerti, manager of “The Wave”.
“Our style is lounge; we are a new business that has just opened its doors and needs support; I don’t understand why they are penalizing us because of music. We are asking to at least extend closing-hours from 20:00 to 22:00,” said the manager of “Broadway”.
“We returned from Italy two days ago, and they should follow their example here as well, as there everything is open until 22:00 p.m.,” said a local resident.
According to the chair of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Arben Breshani, the complaints coming from businesses is fair, because Vlora is expecting a high number of tourists this holiday season.
Vlora officially launched its tourist season on May 15th, while almost a year and a half into the pandemic, businesses along the Lungomare are hoping for the termination of restrictive measures, which are paralyzing their businesses.
