TIRANA, March 15 – Albania has been placed on the list of safe countries for Britons to visit for 2018 at a time when major destinations face severe to likely terror threats, according to the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice.
Albania is rated as a country where terror can’t be ruled out compared to established destinations such as France and Turkey where the terror threat is ‘very likely’ and Spain and Italy with a ‘likely’ terror threat and where tourists are advised to be vigilant.
The countries on the ‘Terror can’t be ruled out’ list such as Albania can be considered safe choices, so pack your bags and have a safe 2018 summer holiday, writes the UK’s Daily Express on its online version.
Over 80,000 British nationals visit Albania every year with most visits being trouble-free, says the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which assesses the risks of terrorism, civil unrest and natural disasters to advise against travel to countries or regions.
“Public security is generally good, particularly in Tirana. Crime and violence does occur in some areas, but is not typically targeted at foreigners,” says the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“Terrorist attacks in Albania can’t be ruled out. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including places visited by foreigners,” it adds.
Although the country has been immune to terrorist attacks until now and as of 2015 there have been no new reported cases of Albanians joining the so-called Islamic State, ISIS, attacks in Western countries and Turkey and the Middle East seem to have frightened Albanians.
About half of the Albanian respondents in the World Economic Forum’s 2018 survey rated terrorist attacks as one of their five global risks of highest concern for doing business in country.
In addition, the run-up to the Nov. 2016 Albania-Israel World Cup qualifier leading to several arrests in Albania and Kosovo over an alleged planned terrorist attack proved terrorism is not only a potential but also real threat to Albania, experts have said.
Currently, British Airways is the sole carrier currently offering direct Tirana-London flights.
Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced the launch of direct Tirana-London flights starting spring 2018, the Tirana International Airport says.
Data published by the country’s state statistical institute, INSTAT, shows some 127,000 British citizens visited Albania in 2017, a 24 percent hike compared 2016. The number of Albanians citizens visiting the UK is considerably lower as Albanian citizens need visas to visit Britain.
Each year British people make around 50 million trips abroad.
Still undiscovered and little known by most European tourists, Albania has been placed as a 2018 under-the-radar destination by prestigious travel media and tour operators.
The National Geographic has rated Albania among the 2018 places one needs to visit, especially for adventurer and divers.
UK-based Wild Frontiers tour operator has also named Albania among the world’s top three adventure travel destinations for 2018 as part of an off-the-beaten path Western Balkans tour.
The Irish Times has also rated Albania as the top two budget destination for 2018, sandwiched between the Spanish Costas and Turkey.
Closed to tourists for about five decades until the early 1990s, Albania offers a miscellaneous picture of coastal and mountain tourism and has been attracting more and more foreign tourists in the past decade being nicknamed “A new Mediterranean love” and “Europe’s last secret.”
