Number of tourists in Albania grows by 12 pct in 2015

The National Bank of Albania declared on Monday that during the first nine months of 2015 the number of tourists increased by 12 percent compared to the same period of 2014.

According to the bank, 2015 reflected a change in the origin of tourists. If a few years ago arrivals were mainly from the region, in the last tourist season, visitors came from Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Germany, and France.

Experts say that for 2016, the main challenges for Albanian tourism will be the quality of service and the hospitality industry.

The adoption of a new law on tourism is expected to bring discipline to the industry, with the launch of the implementation of standards and classifications, experts declare.

Tour operators in Albania reported that the biggest flows of tourists in 2015 were from Eastern European countries, while overall tourist figures range from 5,000 to 100,000 visitors a year, mostly in the first half of the year.

The main problems that Albanian tourism faces are the level of taxation, infrastructure that is not always uniform or consistent, and the service's culture.

Promoting tourism is constantly on the rise, especially in the past two years as the government has increased the budget in this sector of the economy.

In terms of tourism products, in Albania, the coast occupies a central place, dominated by the domestic market and Albanians from neighboring countries. Endit