The influx of foreign visitors to a place that only a few decades ago was sealed off to the world has brought both prosperity and challenges. “It’s been a 100 percent transformation,” said Erjon Shehaj, 46, whose family opened a 10-table restaurant in Dhermi in 2016. The resort hosted the biggest stage of the festival and was booked solid all seven days. In Dhermi, the electricity or water was sometimes turned off at hotels without warning, and bathrooms in restaurants and bars were left uncleaned for long stretches. The flood of visitors is also raising fears about possible harm to the region’s flora and fauna.

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Persons: “ It’s, ”, Erjon Shehaj, “ I’ve, Anisa Koteci Organizations: Kala Locations: Drymades, Dhermi, Albania, London, Vlore