17 September 2009 | Despite the world economic crisis, Albania set another record in tourism this year, with the tourism ministry announcing on Tuesday that more than two million people visited between January and August.

Compared to the same period last year, these figures show a remarkable 42.5 per cent growth, regional media reported.

According to the ministerial report, more than 90 per cent of the visitors were on holiday; the rest were making business or day trips.

As BalkanTravellers.com reported in August, the significant growth of visitors to Albania was already apparent for the first seven months of 2009, when more than 1.5 million visitors entered the country, a 36 per cent hike on the same period in 2008.

Despite the impressive figures cited by the government, however, tour operators and lobby groups complain that the country's underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of promotion are leaving the Albanian market several steps behind its competitors.


A World Economic Forum report on competitiveness in the international travel and tourism industry, cited by Balkan Insight in August, ranked Albania 90th on a list of 133 countries, alongside war-torn African nations.

The report also found that the Albanian travel and tourism industry employs 41,000 workers and earned 358 million euros in 2008, equivalent to 4.1 per cent of GDP.

Read more about Albania on BalkanTravellers.com