Kumbaro: The Albania Tourism 2030 strategy is ready

2024-10-12 11:35:00, Aktualitet CNA

The annual meeting for the analysis of the 2024 summer tourist season and to present the new National Tourism Strategy under the vision of tourism Albania 2030 was held in the Palace of Congresses.

Minister Mirela Kumbaro gave an overview of the projects and balance of figures, emphasizing that this tourist season ended with 9.7 million foreign visitors from January to September.

"The 9.7 million foreign visitors we received from January to September, at the end of the season, reaching almost the entire balance of last year, which was also a record year in tourism. They are indicators of a tourism that grows together with our ambitions to consolidate an offer with the highest levels of quality, standards and hospitality", confirmed Minister Kumbaro.

She further stated that Albania has managed to consolidate a tourist offer that extends throughout the year and throughout the territory, which is also confirmed by the increase in the number of visitors to protected areas and national parks, cultural sites and agritourism enterprises. .

"We have discovered the way to have tourism extended in time and territory and this is shown by the 4.5 million visitors to protected areas during 2024 or the 1 million visitors to cultural sites, thanks to the good work that has been done in promoting cultural heritage . They also show the 270 offers in agortourism and the very high demand to be in this market, while thanks to the strategy of Agorturism, the aim is to translate the potential of this sector into 1000 units by 2030", Minister Kumbaro continued.

Minister Kumbaro focused on the National Tourism Strategy 204-2030, presenting the pillars on which the model of sustainable development is built as well as some of the quantitative objectives it aims for.

"The strategy is based on six main pillars: Investments, Fiscal and regulatory policy in tourism, Management of destinations, Development of tourist products, Marketing of destinations and Capacity building based on the three basic principles which are the social, environmental and economic aspects", he said. the minister, announcing that the document will be released for public consultation next week.

The National Tourism Strategy 2024-2030 also projects the creation, improvement and consolidation of tourism products by dividing the country into 6 tourist regions: the tourist region of the Adriatic coast, the northern inland tourist region, the tourist region of Tirana, the tourist region of the Ionian coast as well as the southern inland tourist region.

At the end of her speech, Minister Kumbaro also spoke about the new beach management scheme.

"The comprehensive tourist offer of the country has also changed the philosophy of travel, where vacationers do not stay only on the coast and tourists do not visit Albania only in the summer months for the beaches, but want to explore the surrounding tourist offer such as agrotourism, cultural sites, paths, festivals and local fairs", said Kumbaro, adding that the new beach management regulation that will be presented within the month of October, is based on the main principle that deckchairs in themselves cannot be a primary business model, but should be treated only as an additional accessory of accommodation structures.

Minister of Economy, Culture and Innovation Blendi Gonxhja and Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku are also speaking at the event./ CNA