Data show some 67 percent of tourists come from Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro where ethnic Albanians are the majority or second largest communities with local experts often referring to this sector of the market as ‘patriotic tourism’
TIRANA, Sept. 20 – Tourists from neighboring Kosovo account for half of the total visitors entering Albania during this year. Latest data published by the Tourism Ministry show Kosovo topped the tourist list for the first eight months of this year with 51 percent of the total around 3 million visitors. The construction of Durres-Kukes highway cutting the distance between Albania and Kosovo has considerably improved the situation. Second came tourists from Macedonia with 11 percent, followed by Montenegro, Italy and Greece with 5 percent each, Germany 3 percent and the United States 2 percent.
Data show some 67 percent of tourists come from Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro where ethnic Albanians are the majority or second largest communities with local experts often referring to this sector of the market as ‘patriotic tourism.’
Figures announced by Tourism Minister Aldo Bumci showed some around 3 million people visited Albania during January-August this year. Some 2.12 million of them were foreign tourists whose number rose by 16 percent compared to the first eight months of 2010.
However, some 37 percent of tourists visited Albania for a single day or entered the country in transit.
The ministry also reported a rising number of visitors in the northern mountain areas of Valbona and Theth where modest inns have been built to accommodate tourists.
“We want to increase the number of visitors from neighboring countries, but our challenge remains to expand in new markets such as Germany, UK, US which are the world’s biggest exporters of tourists,” said minister Bumci.
Differently from what was expected, the rise in number of tourists reported by the government during the first half of this year did not produce more revenues for the tourism sector in Albania. Official Bank of Albania data published this week show tourism revenues suffered a blow in the second quarter of this year when they dropped by 10 percent to 240 million Euros, compared to 265 million Euros in the second quarter of 2010. The second quarter level for 2011 is even lower to the same period in 2008 and 2009 when tourism revenues registered 250 and 299 million Euros respectively. In total, tourism revenues during the first half of this year stand at 415 million Euros, 11 million Euros less compared to the same period in 2010.
