Berisha wants more focus on tourism in 2011 budget

TIRANA, August 18 – Prime Minister Sali Berisha has called on ministry to focus more on tourism when drafting the 2011 budget, which government has said it will approve next September.
Speaking on Wednesday’s government meeting, Berisha described tourism as a very important source of revenue for the economy, stressing the need to reshape the agencies and ministries’ stance on its further increase.
“This will be the first year in Albania’s history that the number of visitors exceeds the number of population,” said Berisha, attributing the positive results to infrastructural investments which exceed 1 billion euros during the past six years.
He demanded the inclusion of all sewage treatment plants in tourist areas in the 2011 budget.
According to Berisha, some 3.5 million tourists have visited Albania during this year’s the same as the country’s population.
However, a major part of them are Albanian immigrants residents in Italy and Greece who come to spend their holidays home.