Dear ladies and gentlemen!
I would like to thank you, for honouring us with your presence, to exchange information about Albania and in particular the development and investment possibilities in the Tourism industry .
Albania and the Albanians are and have always been a nation and a country of the western Balkans in the heart of Europe only 70 miles off the coast of Italy and a linking bridge to eastern Europe.
Albania and the Albanians very soon will be admitted in NATO and will be joining the European Community, where they belong, because as Albanians we believe and we can!
Albania has a nature and a Mediterranean climate similar to southern Italy and Greece. The only difference is that the Albanian coast line is 362km where the mountains are still virgin in nature.
Sunny tourism is the primary resource of the tourism industry in the country. A multitude of sandy and pine beaches along the Adriatic sea, and the rocky coast of Ionian sea where in a few minutes trip you can experience the mountain climate of Llogara and suntanning in Dhërmi, are great resources of the Albanian nature.
Mountain and climate tourism are the basis for a stable year-round tourism industry in Albania. The Northern Albanian Alps, Korça Highlands, Ionian coastal mountains, mountains of Kruja and Berat, the spa of Elbasan and Fushë-Kruja, offer great opportunities to host tourists during the winter time which, in our country, often tends to be mild.
Tourists can be accommodated in hotels as well as in the farms (inns) which combined with the characteristic Albanian hospitality create a true familiar millieu.
Albania is a country with a great, ancient history and cultural heritage.
We have about 2000 cultural monuments that can be visited by tourists; in particular two ancient cities like Berati and Gjirokastra, now under UNESCO-s protection.
Butrinti archaeological park is very famous as well as under UNESCO-s protection.
Cities like Durrës, Shkodra, Tirana, Kruja, Korça, Elbasan and Vlora, offer a great contribution in culture and history.
Apollonia, Voskopoja and Antigonea are distinguished as ancient cities enriched with great archaeological potential.
In order to support the development of a stable tourism industry, the Albanian government has realized with priority and continues to work with great intensity for:
Continuous Improvement of the legislation, successful law implementation, tourism, foreign investment, human safety, and clarity of land property. In accordance to all the above we have established rules and principles for the actors involved in the tourism industry and foreign investments; modern standards also have been established to ease investments in the tourism industry and other related services thereof.
Planning and accomplishing investments in the infrastructure:
This includes highway and national roads network, water resources and drainage, power supply and telecommunication.
Tirana airport modernization and construction of new airports in the North and South of Albania.
Improvement and enlargement of ports like Durrës, Vlora, Saranda and Shëngjin.
Constructing maritime ports for yachts and sailboats.
Compilation of the integrated Plan for the southern coast development (Albanian Riviera) .
This regional master plan defines the criteria for the development of the southern coastline, protecting natural parks, protected areas, and traditional rural villages of the southern coast with cultural and historic values, natural landscapes.
Foreign investors who are interested in investing in Albania in the field of tourism industry can take advantage of the concession (lease) law, of a 35 years term. According to this law, the lease agreement can be renewed for the successful businesses with the same length of time.
Albania it is a small country, but if you get a chance to stop by, you will clearly realise the extraordinary potential this country can offer, adoptable, able to generate profit for all biggest companies in the world.
Albania has a great and incomparable touristic potential, most beautiful coast, virgin mountains are a great potential touristic place for the all seasons.
The intact mountains are ready for investments that will turn them one of the most adorable touristic attractions. The Albanian mountains are rich in natural mineral resources, the largest of which, chromium, nickel, copper and iron.
Albania is full of hydric resources, 400 power plants of different sizes will be built, but the real treasure of Albania are the Albanians itself, with great and solid spirit in free initiative, hardworking, ambitious, eager to learn and change their life.
The National Agency of Tourism is working in promoting all the possibilities in development of the tourism industry in the Albania.
According to the W.T.O statistics, during 2008, until 30 September the number of visitors entering Albania reached 2.2 million.
92% are tourist from Europe, 5% from America, 3% Azia. The neighbor countries have generated the biggest number of tourists such as Kosovo 26%, Macedonia 26%, Montenegro 8%, Italy 7%, Greece 6%, Serbia 8%, United Kingdom 4%, Germany 3%, others 12%.
Tourism contribution in the Albanian economy is 11% 1 .
In the tourism market of Central Europe and Eastern Europe Albania possesses 0.6% of the total demand for tourism2
The number of accommodation bed unit it has reached 35.000
The number of travel agents in Albania it has reached 120.
The income generated from the last year is about 1 billion EURO
The Albanian government has done a huge amount of work to increase information resources about Albania, thus improving the countrys image. Some of the governments initiatives related to this topic are as follows:
Sponsorship and logistic support of TV adverts like CNN, WDR, RAI as well as satellite national TV-s like TVSH, KLAN and ALSAT.
Several publications about Albania and its touristic, natural, cultural, historic and archaeological resources.
•1. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2007
•2. World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2007
Updating and making available new information, improving the official tourism webpage www.albaniantourism.com
We are currently working in developing and providing the "online booking" system for the hotel accommodation.
The overall result is that Albania is considered form the industries of the most developed countries as the main destination for water and for the Alps, for the wonderful landscape, generosity and hospitality of the people.
Dear Ladies and gentlemen,
Very briefly, i presented the actual panorama of Albania and the Albanian Tourism, and i would like to invite all of you to become partners in the road of development. The time to invest in Albania has come.
Thank you very much!
