Prime Minister Edi Rama is right to rejoice and congratulate his citizens on the extraordinary success tourism is having in Albania. The data show continued growth that has reached unforeseen levels this year.
8.5 million foreign tourists flocked to the predominantly seaside resorts of the Land of Eagles: 1.3 million more than the 7.2 million who had decided to spend periods of vacation here in 2023 from abroad, not only in summer.
According to the data illustrated by Rama, it is not only tourists from European countries and the United States. There are many who come from Mexico, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, Azerbaijan, China and Japan.
The news is very positive for state coffers. In 2023, the contribution of foreign tourism had been 4 billion. This year it should be around 5 billion, almost 25% of GDP. A level that is the envy of a country like Italy where tourism overall does not exceed 13% of GDP We do not know the figure for how much Albanians spent abroad. But it should not be a significant figure.
Edi Rama,however, did not just emphasize the success of foreign tourism. He also called Albanians' attention to the risks facing this boom. Rama pointed to disproportionate price increases especially in some southern coastal resorts and reminded those in the industry that this could result in a flight of tourists.
But there is more than just a price problem. Albanian tourism, if it wants to consolidate and remain a pillar of the country's prosperity, must strive to improve the quality of services offered.
It is a problem of both staff training and facility maintenance. Hotels and restaurants need staff who have been trained to European standards. More attention needs to be paid to the needs of customers who cannot, for example, be bombarded with loud music from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
And finally, there is the problem of overcrowded beaches: too many umbrellas and sunbeds stuck to each other often make it impossible to even sunbathe.... Intensive exploitation of space, combined with high prices and low quality of services could disappoint foreign tourists. Italy has a good tradition of training tourism personnel. The governments of Rome and Tirana could study synergies in this area.
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