Data published by Greece’s national Institute of Statistics show around 300,000 non-resident Albanians visited Greece during the first nine months of 2011, registering a sharp 76 percent increase compared to the same period in 2010, when Albanians were required to obtain visas to travel in the Schengen area
TIRANA, Jan. 31 – The liberalization of the visa regime, in force since mid-December 2010 has almost doubled the number of Albanians visiting neighbouring Greece, where an estimated more than 600,000 Albanian migrants live and work. Latest data published by Greece’s national Institute of Statistics show around 300,000 non-resident Albanians visited Greece during the first nine months of 2011, registering a sharp 76 percent increase compared to the same period in 2010, when Albanians were required to obtain visas to travel in the Schengen area.
The latest report published by the Hellenic Statistical Authority shows the share of Albanian non-resident visitors during the first three quarters of 2011 rose to 2.1 percent of the total, up from 1.3 percent in 2010, ranking Albanians as the visitors registering the second biggest increase after the Portuguese. The overwhelming majority of around 94 percent of Albanians travelling to Greece travelled by road using the Gjirokastra and Korca border crossing points, while 5.7 percent flew. Under the visa liberalization rules, tourists are allowed to stay in a Schengen area country for up to three months every 180 days.
Facing its worst historical economic and financial crisis, Greece recorded a 10.4 percent increase in arrivals of non-residents from abroad during the first three quarters of 2011.
Likewise their major contribution to Greece’s financial woes, the Germans were on top of the tourist list in Greece for 2011 with around 1.9 million people, accounting for 13 percent of the total, significantly contributing to Greece tourism sector.
Travel expenditure up, income down
The latest Bank of Albania data show Albanians spent only 10 percent more in trips abroad during the first nine months of 2011, mainly in tourist trips but also to meet their relatives in Greece and Italy where an estimated more than one million Albanians live and work.
The visa liberalization regime in force since mid-December 2010 has played a minor role since travel expenditure during the first three quarters of 2011 rose by only 10 percent to 864 million euros, reflecting citizen’s saving trend to spend money for holidays abroad and even meet their relatives abroad.
Differently from what was expected, the rise in number of tourists reported by the government during in 2011 failed to produce more revenues for the tourism sector in Albania. Official Bank of Albania data published show tourism revenues suffered another blow in the third quarter of 2011, the peak of the tourist season when they dropped by 9 percent to 469 million Euros, compared to 534 million during the same period in 2010. The third quarter revenues for this promising sector of the Albanian economy are even lower to the same period in the crisis year of 2009 when tourism revenues yet managed to register a significant increase. In total, tourism revenues during the three quarters of 2011 stood at 884 million Euros, 76 million Euros less or 9 percent down compared to the same period in 2010.
