25 August 2008 | Low prices, the beautiful coast and favourable conditions are among the reasons why many Greeks decided to spend their holidays in Albania this summer, media of the two countries reported recently.

Greek is spoken widely in southern Albania, which is another incentive for tourists from Greece to head over to their neighbouring country to the west, the Albanian BalkanWeb electronic media wrote, citing the Greek Ta Nea newspaper.

According to the publication, holidaymakers from Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia have also started to frequent Albania during the summer.

Greek tourists in particular cite the low accommodation prices in Albania as a draw: according to one account, a five-star hotel in the town of Saranda in the southern part of the country costs 110 euro per day.

A hotel owner in Himara, just opposite the north end of the Greek island of Corfu, told the publication that about 30 per cent of his yearly clients are Greek and their numbers increase every season. According to him, many Greeks don’t come as part of organised tourist packages, but rather through Albanians they met in their home country.