OUR Albania is a nearby location for Greece and many Central European countries. It could also be taken as tourist; Possibly, yes, as reported in a related article by Deutsche Welle. If you fly into Albania from Germany or Austria, the first thing you will see is Mount Daiti, which casts its shadow over the capital Tirana. Coming to power during World War II, communist dictator Enver Hoxha cut Albania off from the outside world for four decades and banned travel. Today, however, the country wants to highlight its natural wealth, its Balkan cuisine and the variety of Greek, Roman and Ottoman archaeological sites. The special thing, according to Ghazi Haxia, managing director of Landways travel agency, is that you can discover all these treasures without running into the crowds. “Albania is still a little-known destination,” he says. “Visitors can still see the untouched nature, the fascinating culture and its authenticity.” At the same time, the number of visitors is steadily growing.

The number of visitors from countries inside and outside of Europe is increasing.

During the pandemic, Albania’s tourism industry performed better than other neighboring states. In Croatia, where the Adriatic coast is the top tourist destination in Southeast Europe, visitors have fallen by 68% in 2020. In Montenegro, things were even worse, losing 83%. Albania recorded “only” 59% fewer tourists. The hospitality of the Albanians is also an important element that advertises the country. But Haxia’s customers, who come mainly from European countries such as Germany, the UK and Italy, also appreciate the low shipping costs. At the same time, the number of visitors from countries outside of Europe is also increasing. Albania has traditionally lived off agriculture and mining, but tourism is becoming an increasingly important economic factor. Before the pandemic, the sector’s annual revenue of about 2.3 billion euros corresponded to almost 16% of GDP. Prime Minister Edi Rama wants to double that share, and government-funded projects will help. And there is indeed progress. The long-standing waste problem has been solved, transportation infrastructure is being expanded and modernized, and tax breaks are spurring the construction of more hotels and tourist facilities.