TIRANA, June, 7 – Albania’s emerging cruise ship tourism is set to register a boost this season as several international cruise lines have placed Turkey off their itineraries on security grounds, replacing it with alternative Albanian destinations among others.
Auron Tare, the head of the Albania’s National Coastline Agency, says Albania ports will host a record 75 cruise ships with some 150,000 tourists on board this year, also thanks to feared insecurity in Turkey and the Balkans attracting more international attention.
“It is not on our own merits that so many tourists are coming. The situation is a result of Turkey having become a tough destination to visit also because of security elements. On the other hand, the Balkans as a region is generally getting more attention by tourists,” says Tare, adding that Albania is still not well-prepared to handle large influxes of cruise tourists.
“Albania still has a lot of work to do when it comes to the accommodation infrastructure to handle these influxes of tourists so that many areas and towns become real tourist destinations,” he told a local TV.
A week ago, the northern Shengjin Port, currently used only for freight transport, hosted its first cruise ship with 120 Britons on board lured by an internationally renowned restaurant, an example of sustainable tourism in the country offering traditional organically grown products outside Lezha.
The south Albania Port of Saranda expects a 3-fold increase in the number of cruise ships and yachts visiting the city and its surroundings as several international cruise lines offering Mediterranean tours have replaced Turkish destinations with Albanian and Greek ones.
MSC Cruises is already advertising Saranda offering city tours, visits to the UNESCO neighbouring city of Gjirokastra, the ancient ruins of Butrint, the Blue Eye Spring and the Albanian Riviera and its villages.
The country’s key port of Durres is also hopeful of an increase in cruise ship tourists as some international companies are skipping Turkish ports over fears of terrorist attacks.
The Durres Port handled 25 cruise ships with thousands of tourists on board and some 218 yachts in 2016.
