1.4 million tourists visit Albania in two months, PM says
Tirana Times
TIRANA, August 4 – The majority of tourists visiting Albania during this summer are ethnic Albanians from Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro with local experts often referring to this sector of the market as “patriotic tourism.”
Some 1.4 million tourists visited Albania during the past two months, 26 percent more than the June-July period last year, Prime Minister Sali Berisha said on Wednesday’s government meeting.
“Tourism is more and more turning into the one of the main branches of the Albanian economy growing by 60 percent in the past two years,” said Berisha, stressing the importance of Durres-Kukes-Morine highway cutting the distance with Kosovo.
Prime Minister Berisha also called on bar, disco and pub owners to respect noise levels, warning them of penalties if they exceed the allowed levels at night.
Meanwhile, data from the Tourism Ministry show the number of tourists visiting Albania during the first half of this year was 1 million people, increasing by 5.2 percent compared to the same period last year. However, only half of them, some 550,000 people were foreigners. The remaining 450,000 visitors were Albanian immigrants, residents abroad.
The main foreign tourists to Albania during the January-June period were neighbours Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro with 21, 10 and 12 percent respectively.
Ministry officials said that more Macedonian and Kosovo tourists have chosen southern Albania beaches, Vlora and Saranda as their destination this year, abandoning the traditional Durres beach.
Officials expect the number of tourists and revenues to grow this year, especially from Kosovo after the re-opening the Kalimash tunnel linking the two countries in the shortest possible way.
Data by the National Tourism Agency show Albania was visited by 3 million people in 2009, registering a 34 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Of the 3 million tourists in 2009, only 1.78 million were foreigners. Most of them stayed in Albania for one or a few days. The remaining 1.2 million tourists were Albanian immigrants, residents in foreign countries.
