Pay Now, Work Later

When a country of considerable scenic beauty is plagued by a chronic shortage of foreign exchange funds, the standard solution is to build a few luxury hotels, print some brochures advertising the virgin beaches and rugged mountains, and brace for the flood of tourists. Leave it to Albania to invent a new wrinkle that is absolutely guaranteed to keep the tourists away in droves.

This year, for the first time since World War II, Enver Hoxha's Stalinist regime has decided to admit--in groups of 30--West German tourists. The total cost for three weeks, including air fare, food and accommodations, is only $140. There is a slight catch, though: to help Hoxha's fledgling "Action Through Concentrated Blows" program, which is much like China's "Great Leap Forward," tourists who sign up for this government-approved package deal must spend four hours a day laboring in Albania's picturesque farm fields. Germans are ordinarily compulsive tourists, but so far there have been no takers.

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