The Tourism Sector In Albania Tourism Essay

Albania is a parliamentary democracy, where the legislative power belongs to the Albania ‘s Assembly and the caput of the province is the President who is elected by the Assembly for a five twelvemonth authorization with the right to be re-elected. The Council of Ministers is the highest executive and commanding organ which is directed by Prime Minister.

Harmonizing to Census 2011 preliminary consequences Albania has a population of 2,831,741 dwellers in a surface of 28,748 sq kilometer. Albania is located in the western portion of the Balkan Peninsula. The state has a 750 kilometer boundary line with Montenegro to the North, Kosovo to the Northeast, Macedonia to the East, Greece to the South and Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea ( Italy ) to the West.

Albania has Mediterranean clime, which is characterized by hot summers and mild winters with abundant rainfalls. The period from June to September is hot, while from October to May is cool and moisture. The mean one-year temperature varies from + 15oC in the North to + 16.5oC in the South. The hottest month is July with an mean temperature of + 25oC and the coldest month is January with an norm of +6oC, although the record temperature has been -34oC. “

For about 45 old ages the Communist government, which was installed in Albania after the Second World War, left the state aside the remainder of the universe being portion of the communist axis of the Eastern Europe. The communist government of Tirana even went farther by insulating Albanian people wholly and brought the state to fall in. With the autumn of communist governments of the Eastern Europe, Albania was the last one to fall in the free universe. A democratic system was setup in power in 1992. Due to authorities ‘s committedness to a free market economic system, the state undertook a programme of reforms and made great attempts to retrieve from the autumn of communist government. However, the prostration of the deceitful pyramid strategies in 1997 and the instability that followed were a enormous reverse for Albania. But the state did pursuit its manner toward its dream, to be portion of the European community. Till there state has made a great advancement. Two large accomplishments are accomplished, in June 2006, the Albanian Government signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement ( SAA ) with the European Union ( EU ) , the first measure in the EU accession procedure and three old ages subsequently, in April 2009, Albania became a NATO member state. Now state is looking to accessing dialogues to be an EU member state. A scope of reforms are come oning markedly over the last decennary to Albania ‘s economic system and disposal such as reforms in substructure development, revenue enhancement aggregation, belongings jurisprudence, concern disposal, judiciary system.

The state was mostly spared from the terrible radioactive dust of the 2008-2009 fiscal crisis since its economic system is non to a great extent integrated into the Euro-Atlantic system.

Economic advancement of the state has slowed but remained positive, in each twelvemonth from 2009 to 2011. The authorities ‘s chief undertaking is to keep positive economic growing while continuing macroeconomic stableness. Major challenges are the hard financial and budgetary environment and the crises in the Eurozone, particularly in neighbouring Greece and Italy ( major merchandising spouses of Albania with a big presence in the banking sector and besides host to approximately one million Albanian emigres ) .

In 2011, GDP was estimated to hold reached near to $ 13 billion. Major subscribers to GDP harmonizing to 2010 preliminary informations were: service sector with 57.6 % including trade, hotels, and eating houses ( 20.9 % ) , conveyance ( 6.3 % ) , communicating ( 3.4 % ) , and other services 27 % ; agriculture 20.3 % ; industry 11.3 % ; and building 10.7 % .

In 2011 unemployment officially stood at 13.3 % . One-half of the work force is considered freelance in the agribusiness sector.

GDP per capita in 2011 is estimated to hold reached $ 4,560. Although GDP per capita has steadily increased over the old ages, the state still ranks as one of the poorest states in Europe harmonizing to major income indexs.

Albania has put in topographic point a broad foreign investing government, and the authorities is working to better the concern clime through financial and legislative reforms and substructure betterments. Foreign direct investing ( FDI ) has increased significantly over the last few old ages and in 2010 reached $ 1.1 billion, up from $ 262 million in 2005. Since 2005, the Government of Albania has invested more than $ 2 billion in the state ‘s chief route corridors, and it has pledged to go on puting to a great extent in bettering transit substructure. Electricity supply has besides improved due to investings in new transmittal lines and new coevals beginnings every bit good as the denationalization of the distribution system, which is bit by bit increasing efficiency.

The EU remains Albania ‘s chief trading spouse, supplying 64.1 % of Albania ‘s imports and having 72.5 % of exports as of December 2011. Trade with Italy and Greece continues to stand for the largest portion of EU trade, with a combined 41.1 % of imports and 58.3 % of exports in 2011. Other major merchandising spouses include Turkey, China, and Germany. The impact of CEFTA in Albania ‘s trade with member states has been little.

2.1.2 Tourism in Albania

The Potentials for Tourism Development in Albania

Albania is a little state but a beautiful and absorbing state with significant touristry development potency. Albania has an attractive coastline and a rich cultural and natural heritage. As Tourism Strategy on Culture and Environment[ 1 ]has highlighted, state “ has a broad scope of historic, cultural and natural attractive forces that are of great involvement to international tourers ” . The same appraisal is made to the state ‘s really rich civilization and heritage by Culture Marketing Strategy[ 2 ]papers, excessively, emphasizing that “ Albania has a really rich, distractive, and reliable civilization and heritage – from the Greco-Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other historic periods up to the modern twenty-four hours ” . This appraisal is mentioned besides to verbatim remarks from interviews with western circuit operators and travel authors[ 3 ], where one of them have citied that “ Albania is an archeological site from tip to toe, traveling back to Illyrian colonies, Grecian settlements, Roman business, non to advert the invasions from Goths, Bulgars, Byzantines, Crusaders of the Holy Roman Empire and Ottomans who all but stopped clip in paths. Evidence of these civilisations are everyplace in Albania, and it ‘s clip to allow the universe see the great and fantastic sitesaˆ¦.. ” . Albania has 3 World Heritage Sites – Butrint, Gjirokaster and Berat. Beachs are long and flaxen with hot cheery summers with about 250 cheery yearss. The mountain countries offer chances for niche touristry activities like hike, biking, canoeing etc. Plenty of National Parks and other natural militias offer ecological experiences. State offers beautiful and diverse landscapes and abundant and varied vegetations and zoologies.

Current touristry markets

Since the late ninetiess, after the 97 ‘ instability in the state and 99 ‘ war in Kosovo, touristry activities are increasing. As figures[ 4 ]show there is a considerable increasing figure of international visitants after the twelvemonth 2000, due to the betterment of regional and interior state political clime and enhance of the security in the state. A large impact to the addition of the flux of tourers from Kosovo has demo the new main road associating Albania with Kosovo. Even this increasing Numberss are impressive, the touristry sector in Albania can non be regarded as being good developed. Infrastructure has been till tardily a major restriction. The authorities in power has evaluated the development of substructure as really of import and is puting to a great extent in betterments[ 5 ].

Datas from the tabular array below shows that:

Entire foreign visitant traffic increased by 18.4 % in 2010 compared to 2009 to 3,612,000 visits. Taking into consideration the crisis clip this is an first-class public presentation for Albanian touristry. 33 % were non-resident Albanians and 66.1 % were foreign staying visitants in 2010. Much of the addition came from Kosovo. This is apparent to see the impact that the new main road with brought to Albanian touristry, a clear index of strong growing created by betterments in substructure.

Table: Visitors to Albania 2005 – 2011

Year

Entire visitants

International tourers

Foreign twenty-four hours visitants

Non-resident Albanians

2005

748,000

2006

937,000

2007

2,100,000

1,098,765

65,000

1,000,000

2008

2,578,627

1,247,125

83,000

1,248,489

2009

3,050,828

1,667,846

118,199

1,264,783

2010

3,612,000

2,347,000

70,000

1,195,000

2011

4,114,750

2,734,000

113,750

1,267,000

Beginning: Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports

Harmonizing to MoTCYS informations, for the twelvemonth 2011 a sum of some four million visitants entered in Albania. They included 2,734,000 foreign tourers and 1,267,000 non-resident Albanian nationality visitants.

Principal beginning markets of foreign visitants are as follows:

Table: Chief beginning markets of foreign visitants to Albania 2006-2010

A

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Market

portion 10

% Change

10-09

Kosovo

336,322

384,328

473,722

1,179,327

48.79

148.95

Macedonia

187,554

224,348

341,801

330,939

276,268

11.43

-16.52

Crna gora

105,636

120,125

128,547

123,833

5.12

-3.67

Greece

56,219

58,217

85,505

106,227

113,008

4.67

6.38

Italy

68,240

84,680

98,573

109,702

125,036

5.17

13.98

United kingdom

48,886

52,918

60,043

61,136

62,251

2.58

1.82

USA

36,057

43,779

50,354

48,599

49,537

2.05

1.93

Germany

27,364

31,181

38,428

48,408

55,919

2.31

15.52

Turkey

14,286

21,812

32,575

30,569

33,544

1.39

9.73

Srbija

40,573

43,940

1.82

8.30

France

12,608

16,527

18,369

20,165

25,651

1.06

27.21

Poland

5,787

11,026

14,427

17,037

17,350

0.72

1.84

Switzerland

7,344

9,157

15,660

15,960

22,269

0.92

39.53

Bulgaria

8,395

11,141

13,210

14,327

13,760

0.57

-3.96

Oesterreichs

7,796

12,816

12,292

11,809

15,659

0.65

32.60

Beginning: World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO )

The figures demonstrate that the biggest addition of foreign tourers in 2010 was coming from Kosovo with 48.79 % followed by Macedonia with 11.43 % compared to 2009. The foreign tourers from western states have n’t made such a large advancement. Besides, as can be seen, the figure of non-resident Albanians has been increasing in 2008 and 2009, while in 2010 the figure has faced a lessening.

From the tabular array below can be seen the increasing figure of visitants in July and August. Such a phenomenon is determining drastically the seasonality of touristry in Albania. In 2010 the figure of tourer that visited Albania in these two months was 55.44 % compared to the figure of all visitants. Besides, another job related to these figures is the high dependence in Balkan part tourer flow. This demonstrates that the tourers in July-August are coming merely for sea and sand and dwelling merely the coastal countries.

Table: Seasonality of Foreign Visitors to Albania 2005-2011

Calendar month

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

January

32,321

37,630

49,437

55,635

58,640

68997

90712

February

25,214

33,107

41,173

52,284

52,787

55181

79189

March

33,471

41,345

53,532

68,942

62,933

72864

106649

April

41,891

58,723

70,040

76,867

98,735

90130

145171

May

49,148

66,696

77,577

97,995

113,362

117261

146114

June

62,201

73,402

93,533

123,249

135,740

144663

196704

July

139,446

173,124

201,428

251,926

469,109

565262

670713

August

163,681

197,976

215,120

257,185

411,252

711546

684886

September

70,805

82,731

95,148

101,461

119,358

158545

200486

October

49,286

57,181

75,109

91,319

100,783

128452

149917

November

39,840

45,227

54,994

65,691

73,165

95288

122986

December

44,533

58,914

71,674

87,584

90,181

94701

140123

Entire

751,837

926,056

1,098,765

1,330,138

1,786,045

2,302,899

2,733,650

% addition

23.2

18.6

21.1

34.3

28.9

18.7

% in July/August

40.3

40.1

37.9

38.3

49.3

55.44

49.6

Beginning: NSO / Immigration

Strategic waies for touristry at national degree

Harmonizing to National Strategy for Tourism Development in Albania 2002 – 2012, developed with the aid of GTZ, the chief touristry merchandises for Albanian touristry are defined Sun and sea, concern and particular involvement touristry[ 6 ].

While the Strategy and Action Plan for the Development of the Albanian Tourism Sector Based on Cultural and Environmental Tourism was developed within the waies and construction established by the 2002 “ Tourism Development Strategy 2002-2012 for Albania ” .

This papers provides a new orientation for the authorities to place Albania as an attractive finish for tourers seeking a alone experience which promote them to detect Albania ‘s civilization and nature. “ Discovery of Albania ” is a presentation of a wide cross-section of Albania ‘s history, nature, archeology, living civilization, culinary art and cordial reception. The in writing below nowadayss a simple conventional.

Core and Specialised Tourism Merchandises

Beginning: Scheme for the Development of the Albanian Tourism Sector Based on Cultural and Environmental Tourism. Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, UNDP December 2005

Harmonizing to scheme papers, “ Albania ‘s nucleus ( primary ) touristry merchandise must be a general 1 that encourages visitants to detect the many aspects of Albania ‘s civilization and nature. Albania ‘s cardinal merchandise will be the “ find ” of Albania. The merchandise is a presentation of a wide cross-section of Albania ‘s history, nature, archeology living civilization, culinary art and cordial reception. Visitors take parting in this find will go forth with a permanent feeling of the diverseness, complexness and beauty of civilization and the land. This section does non do a strong differentiation between cultural, natural and other touristry merchandises. Visitors in this section tend to unite many different activities during their visits, and normally see the assorted natural and cultural activities as portion of the procedure of detecting the finish. ”

Mentioning to the major market sections mentioned above, the touristry resources in Albania are in favour and back up the types of community-based touristry, i.e. nature-based touristry, adventure touristry and cultural touristry. Sing these touristry resources, the undermentioned types of activities can be developed:

Nature:

Visiting national Parkss and protected countries

Sing wildlife

Sing rare species

Trekking, boosting

Bicycle trips

Education and acquisition

Engagement in local events ; and

River and lake exploring.

Culture:

Visiting cultural and heritage-related attractive forces

Visiting museums and art Centres

Meeting with creative persons

Meeting people from assorted cultural nationalities

Sing local handcrafts and the procedure of doing them

Visiting scenic landmarks and spiritual sites

Trying local nutrient

Participating in local traditional ceremonials and festivals

Buying traditional trades and local fortes.

Potential to development A

Albania offers infinite possible to investors to take advantage of undiscovered chances in touristry, and assisting to develop this industry into a cardinal strategic sector in the state ‘s economic system.

Albania has a immature population, with a high degree of direction and able to pass on with foregners in defferent languagies.

Albanian is located at short distances from the chief European capital metropoliss and Albanians are friendly and really hospitable people. The improved Rinas international airdrome, and different ports from the North to the south easy the entree to the state. The go oning betterment and development of the substructure in the state, is easing traveling inside the state.

Continuing betterments are being made to promote investors to develop the substructure for touristry in Albania.

Merely like other states in the Western Balkans, Albania has put into topographic point statute law and investing enterprises designed to back up the economic growing of the state compatible with European policies and working rules. The Albanian Government has made support of the current and future enlargement of touristry a precedence, with the end of transforming the state into a Mediterranean tourer finish and puting it on the universe map of touristry.

In an attempt to back up the go oning development of the touristry industry in Albania and to do this state a tourer finish, the importance of the active battle of the local and international Business Community and strong Partnerships between community based organisations, authorities and regional development bureaus is a must.

Internal conveyance is likely to stay a major restriction for touristry in the foreseeable hereafter except possibly for route conveyance along cardinal main roads where upgrading / Reconstruction is already planned or committed. In the WEF Travel and Tourism

Competitiveness Report, Albania ‘s touristry substructure is rated in the bottom two in the part

( See Table 2.2 ) .

In recent old ages at that place has been an increasing involvement from incoming foreign tourers, particularly with important increasing Numberss of international tourer groups generated from Croatia and Montenegro, organised in one or two yearss Tourss to Albania.

Besides Business and Trade touristry accounts a considerable figure of foreign visitants. Neighbour states, such as Italy, Greece particularly are related to merchandise and concern intent of visit of their subjects.

From the western tourers sing Albania in 2006, are identified those geting from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Greece, USA, Canada, France, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Switzerland, the neighbouring states and parts ( Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonian, Bulgaria ) , East Europe ( Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia ) .

Diaspora is another beginning for the inward touristry, where the cultural Albanians from Kosovo do count considerable Numberss. The new route under building from Milot ( the intersection to the main road Tirane-Shkoder ) to Morini ( the boarder-crossing point with Kosovo ) will act upon to increase the Numberss of Kosovo ‘s citizens to entree the Albanian coastal country.

The market profile of visitants who enter to Albania by route from Muriqani and Hani i Hotit ( the boarder-crossing points with Montenegro ) with involvement for Shkodra part for the twelvemonth 2006 is as below:

State of origin Nr. of visitants

Germany 4805

USA 4691

Italy 3974

United Kingdom 2991

France 2735

Poland 2702

Czech Republic 2443

Oesterreichs 1804

Hungary 1499

Luxembourg-ville 1243

Australia 978

Russia 898

Nederland 839

Slovakia 763

Switzerland 757

Belgique 744

Finland 721

Sweden 618

Canada 494

Norway 460

Ukrayina 358

Ireland 250

Denmark 130

Kosovo 4945

Montenegro 70526

Foreigners who are populating and working in Albania have besides late started to make an internal touristry demand. While there is no official record on domestic touristry in Albania, domestic touristry is the ruling signifier of touristry. This is chiefly focussed on beach centred vacations.

1.3.2 National context for Tourism Development

Albania has a great potency for touristry development based on its natural, cultural and human resources. The state has an attractive coastline, rich biodiversity with lagunas, lakes and the mountain countries each with alone vegetations and zoologies, good nature and attractive scenery, cultural and historical sites and interesting traditional life styles. The state therefore has the possible to develop the types of touristry merchandises that are in demand from the international market in the Mediterranean part.

Beside to the long and flaxen beaches along the Adriatic seashore and these bouldery 1s with crystal and clean sea Waterss of the Ionian seashore, its natural and protected countries are basic for developing niche touristry activities such as eco-tourism and nature based activities. Such an activities can be boosting, trekking, walking, horseback-riding, river rafting, paragliding, mountain biking, mounting, canoeing, sightseeing, bird observation, fishing. Rural ‘green ‘ and agri-tourism offers new chances for communities to profit from touristry by offering visitant experiences based on traditional life styles. Albania besides can offer cultural touristry through its archeological sites and historic metropoliss and small towns.

Albania is a short distance finish for Europe ; it is within 3 hours of winging clip of most major European metropoliss and therefore is a short draw finish for the potentially immense European market, the World touristry Organisation predict that by 2020 the Mediterranean Region which includes Albania will be a ‘hotspot ‘ for touristry, therefore there is a great potency for Albania to develop and spread out its touristry industry.

On the other side, uncontrolled development in touristry countries has harmed the potency of these countries for touristry development. Even the steps taken by the authorities to legalize the illegal edifices are non sing for the minute those constructed in touristry countries, it is non clear what will be the steps taken in these countries to better the environment by the injury of illegal edifices.

Some important steps are taken late by the authorities. These steps, at the national degree, encompass scheme and policy paperss such as, the development of the Strategy for Cultural and Environmental Tourism in 2005 and the development of a new touristry web site in 2006. A new Tourism Law ( Nr.9734, dated 14.5.2007 ) was adopted by the parliament and a figure of ordinances approved by the authorities is thought to modulate the touristry sector development.

Tourism development is the duty of the MoTCYS ( Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports ) . NTA ( National Tourism Agency ) is an independent organic structure outside the MoTCYS, being responsible for publicity activities through the production of promotional stuffs and engagement in the international touristry carnivals. The most accompanied carnivals, on a regular basis from old ages in Berlin ( ITB ) and London ( WTM ) , and to RDA ( Keln ) from 2007. At the regional degree, six tourer information offices are approved to be established in Tirana, Shkodra, Vlora, Saranda, Korca and Durres.

At the national degree there are runing two concern Associations for Tourism Travel Agencies and one Association of Hotels. A GTZ ‘s undertaking on “ Institutional edifice of touristry private sector in Albania ” is in the procedure for the clip being with the purpose to set up a strong representation for all the sectors involved in touristry, with the common involvement providing services to the members every bit good as edifice relationship and cooperation with the populace sector.

Albanian Rourism

Even the figures on tourer reachings are turning well twelvemonth after twelvemonth in Albania, the state has remained extremely dependent on summer vacations. Looking on the statistical informations published late in the web sites of Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mtkrs.gov.al/ ) and of National Tourism Agency ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.akt.gov.al/akt/text.php? id=1 & A ; lang=1 ) , is easy apparent that the figure of visitants sing Albania succeeded 2.5 million in 2008 and merely for the period January – August 2009 this figure was over go throughing 2.1 million. As reported by MTCYS, the figure of visitants in 2008 ( 2.578.627 visitants ) is compound as international visitants 1.330.138, from which 1.247.125 were nightlong visitants and 83.013 same twenty-four hours visitants, and 1.248.489 visitants were Albanian subjects shacking abroad. While the figure of visitants for the period January – August 2009 ( 2.111.981 visitants ) is compound as 1.402.558 international visitants and 709.423 Albanian subjects shacking abroad.

But does this image speak for existent success in the development of Albania ‘s touristry as a tourer finish visited by the western tourers? We have to bear in head that the chief ground for the development of touristry is pulling foreign visitants from states with strong currencies. Tourism is considered a concealed export that brings money ( difficult currency ) to the state.

Mentioning to the “ Strategy and Action Plan for the Development of the Albanian Tourism Sector Based on Cultural and Environmental Tourism ” produced by Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports with the support of UNDP in 2005, “ Albania will specialise in pulling educated, independent travellers and specialized group travellers. The chief mark markets will be upper-middle income persons from Europe ( chiefly northern Europe and the United Kingdom ) and North America. This section represents the demographic section with the highest willingness to pay for Albania ‘s alone merchandises, and whose disbursement forms will most lend to progressing development ends. ” Besides, in this strategic papers is specified that “ Albania ‘s cardinal merchandise will be the “ find ” of Albania. The merchandise is a presentation of a wide cross-section of Albania ‘s history, nature, archeology, living civilization, culinary art and cordial reception. Visitors take parting in this find will go forth with a permanent feeling of the diverseness, complexness and beauty of the civilization and the land ” . The inquiry is this: Are these sort of tourers sing Albania lending to this strategic way? The reply is, NO.