Albanian tourism – an attractive point

TIRANA, Aug 11 – Albania has recently become a regional tourist destination, after shaking off its prolonged communist-era isolation.
Its populated beaches of Durres and Vlora offer unexplored stretches on the north and south coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian seas, which are attracting more interest among foreign tourists.
Statistics from June record a 20 percent increase in tourist visits to Albania over the same period last year. Expectations ran high for June and July, which marked the peak of the summer season.
Visitors from Kosova comprise the bulk of the tourists. There are also 88 percent more tourists from Macedonia than there were at the same time last year.
Up to 90 percent of Albanian tourists are Europeans, of whom 70% enter the country by road, presenting a major challenge. The quality of roads and of services remains the core developmental problem.
Entrepreneurs from Dubai and Qatar expressed interest in financing a substantial development on the Bay of Lalzi, according to government sources.
The French chain, Club Med, plans to build some 350 luxury villas overlooking the Bay of Kakome, investing 75m Euros.
The tourism industry took in 170m Euros in revenue in 2007, making it a major engine of national economic growth, according to the central Bank of Albania.