Albania is a country with a long past, but it’s not exactly the first name that pops into your mind when you think about a European vacation. But the country has been seeing an increase in tourism in recent years. In fact, tourism brought 1.5 billion euros into the nation in 2016. This may be modest by international standards, but it is an increase over 2015 and the sign of a strong, growing tourism industry in a country that remains relatively undiscovered.
“This increase in income from tourism makes us believe that Albania is becoming a competitive country for tourism in the region,” said a spokesperson from Albania’s Ministry of Economy and Tourism.
While it’s great that tourism to Albania is increasing, it’s bringing to light some difficulties, foremost of which is the lack of hotel space for visitors and the absence of reliable reviews for the hotels that do exist.
“We still have [only] 67,000 beds, which is low compared with the growing influx [of visitors]. There is a total lack of investment in tourist resorts and few accommodation structures offer top standards,” Zak Topuzi, the chairman of the Albanian Tourism Association’s hotel sector, told Monitor magazine.
The government is working on a national rating standard for existing hotels and new resorts and hotels that are built in the nation.
Another challenge is the lack of infrastructure. The nation’s road system is not designed to make many areas accessible—some of which could be of real interest to tourists. Although progress on this issue is slow, it is happening.
Tourism experts also say that the key to making Albania a tourist destination is providing year-round tourism opportunities. The Ministry of Tourism is already starting to invest in off-season mountain holidays. In fact, Albania’s vice-Prime Minster recently announced a plan to turn the southeastern village of Voskopoja into an important destination for mountain, historical, and cultural tourism. The project, worth 4 million Euros, is projected to be an example of successful development of rural areas.
The fact that tourism us growing despite the challenges inherent in making Albania a vacation destination is a good sign. People are already interested in going there, so at least that ball is rolling. As long as the Ministry of Economy and Tourism can keep that momentum going and develop some solid tactics for building upon it, they should have at least some success.
Photo: A competitor in the “Miss Mountain” contest in Lepushe, Albania, is performing in a traditional dance. She is wearing a traditional Albanian dress. Credit: ollirg / Shutterstock.com