Saranda starts tourism season as government implements national tourism fund

SARANDA, TIRANA, May.20 – Festivals have begun in the city of Saranda to mark the official start of the tourist season. The southern city expects a large influx of tourist this summer. Area deputies, such as Fatos Nano, accompanied the Minster of Culture and Tourism, in ceremonies that took place at the city’s landmark promenade along the sea coast.
Tourism, one of the main economic priorities of the current administration, is going to be regulated by a new law approved by Parliament. The last law had been created in 1993 and needed substantial updating due to changes in market conditions. An important provision of this new law provides financial assistance for small, private businesses connected to tourism through a special development fund that will be administered by the National Tourism Agency operating under the Ministry of Tourism.
Most importantly, the new laws provide a clear legal framework for protecting tourists, including rights to register claims and complaints in order to receive refunds. The infrastructure for processing these claims has also been assigned to the Office for Tourist Assistance. A tourist community now protected by law has been seen as the first serious step towards improving the business climate of tourism in Albania.