TIRANA, May 19 – Albania has lifted visa requirements for six countries, among which Russia, ahead of the new tourist season in a bid to increase the number of foreign tourists to the country which is increasing being recommended as a secret treasure and off-the-radar destination.
A recent government decision has lifted visas for Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Georgia and Belarus for May 15 to November 1, 2016.
The decision could benefit the country’s tourism industry especially in attracting Russian tourists following travel restrictions to Turkey, the key destinations of millions of Russians, after a jet incident in late 2015 when a Turkish fighter shot down a Russian bomber on the Syria-Turkey border, fuelling Russian sanctions on Turkey.
Expectations for this season remain mixed as Albania’s emerging tourism industry lacks the necessary all-inclusive infrastructure and direct flights with Russia despite the visa free travel offered to Russians during the peak summer tourist season.
In late 2015, prestigious French newspaper Le Figaro placed Albania as one of the top five global destinations for 2016. Featuring a picture of the ancient Rozafa castle in the northern city of Shkodra, Le Fiagaro said Albania will surprise everybody just like it did with its first-ever qualification in a major football competition such as France 2016.
With tourism on top of the agenda as one of the emerging drivers of economic growth, Albania has been actively promoting its coastal, mountain and cultural heritage tourism in a bid to become a year-round destination to compensate for construction and remittances-fuelled growth in the pre-crisis years.
The Albanian government is seeking to attract foreign investment in the tourism sector by offering potential investors state property in priority areas for a symbolic 1 Euro for up to 99 years in return for investment of more than €50 million.
The travel and tourism industry, which employs around 50,000 people in Albania, is seen as one of the most promising sectors to compensate for construction and remittances-fuelled growth in the pre-crisis years. Travel income slightly rose to a historic high of €1.35 billion in 2015 when Albania was visited by 4.1 million foreign tourists.
