Tax-free policy on mountain tourism investments

TIRANA, Jan. 19 – Government announced on Wednesday a tax-free policy on investments that will be made to further develop mountain tourism. Speaking at a government meeting, Berisha said such investments will be excluded from taxes for the next five years considering Albania’s potentials in this direction and the currently underdeveloped infrastructure on mountain tourism.
Berisha also announced the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee which will be led by him to cooperate with local government units in identifying possible problems, most importantly sewage running into the sea by local businesses.
Albania’s only decent investments in mountain tourism can be found in the Llogara Pass, in Voskopoja and in the northern Theth and Valbona areas where only some hostels have been made available for visitors despite the unique natural beauties these sites offer.
Berisha also called for measures to make use of all possible tours, religious pilgrimages and other events and promote Albania internationally.
Tourism revenues during the third quarter of 2010 grew by only a slight 26 million euros year-on-year and dropped by 59 million euros compared to the first nine months of 2009, figures proving Albania’s most promising future industry did not manage to escape the crisis effects despite a significant rise in visitors reported by government officials.
Central bank data show travel revenues during the July-September period, the peak of tourist season, increased to 534 million euros, up from 508 million euros in the third quarter of 2009.
Statistics prove visitors to Albania, the majority of whom are Albanian immigrants living in Greece and Italy and tourists from neighbouring Kosovo and Macedonia spent significantly smaller amounts during their stay in Albania despite their number growing.
The situation was mainly a result of the poor performance registered in the first half of this year when revenues dropped by 85 million euros year-on-year.
Albanians also sharply cut their expenditure in tourist trips abroad by 115 million euros during the first 9 months of this year, careful about their household economies which have been affected by lower immigrant remittances, fewer jobs, and a saving trend as the economy continues to gradually recover from the shrink in the last quarter of 2009.
Albania has been ranked as the top emerging country to which those planning a gap year could travel, according to Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2011 guide.