Albania is attempting to bring a large number of international tourists this year, thus helping its travel and tourism industry recover from the COVID-related restrictions.
CEO of travel agency Landways considers that a bonus for visitors planning to head to the Balkan country is that all Albanian treasures can be visited without struggling through crowds, VisaGuide.World reports.
“Albania is still relatively undiscovered. We’ve not been overrun with mass tourism, so visitors can still enjoy unspoiled natural beauty, unique culture, and authentic experiences,” Haxhia pointed out.
The spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants, as well as the restrictions imposed to halt its further spread, significantly affected the country’s travel and tourism sector in particular.
According to the figures provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), authorities in Albania registered a total of 333,622 COVID-19 infection cases, while a total of 3,600 people lost their lives during the same period.
In addition, WHO figures show that as of February 5, 2023, a total of 3,058,102 vaccine doses have been administered in this country.
However, with the easing of the restrictions, authorities in Albania managed to welcome a large number of visitors, while Haxhiu has considered that Albania’s recovery from the COVID-19 situation has been quick.
“The recovery has been quicker and stronger than expected,” Haxhia emphasized.
The figures from the Albanian data statistics agency INSTAT revealed that the tourism industry in Albania saw about a 100 percent increase in the number of foreign visitors in January this year, compared to the figures for the same period last year.
In addition, the agency noted that a total of 377,211 international travelers visited the Balkan country in January 2023, in comparison to the same month last year’s statistics.
In January this year, there was also experienced a surge in the number of domestic tourists, from 259,835 registered in the first month of 2022 to a total of 456,239 registered in January this year.
As part of the efforts to help the travel and tourism sector further recover, Albania previously reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates and China for visa-free travel.
The new changes were confirmed by the country’s Council of Ministers, while the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhacka, stressed that the map would further be expanded for Albanians wishing to visit other countries without being obliged to apply for a visa at first.
“Today, we passed two important agreements. We have concluded agreements with the Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates. They will create increased facilities for Albanians who want to travel to these countries. They will no longer need entry visas,” Xhacka said.
Authorities in Albania are continuously working in order to increase the number of foreign visitors to the country.
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