Albanians are the descendants of Illyrians, the first settlers in the Mediterranean region and Europe. The land of Illyria was divided forcefully by wars and empires. Illyrian land was in today’s Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro. In Albania there’s so much to explore, the worlds most powerfull empires have been there and left so many archeological places. Albania is a blessed country because provides a full package for tourism. It has amazing beaches, mountains, lakes, and rivers, a true unspoilled natural wonder. Albania is a very unique country with fascinating culture, friendly, warmth, and wonderful people.
Albanian traditional costumes
Photo credits: Wikimedia / Arianit
Its favorable geographic location positions it as a gateway to the Balkans as well as a point of connection for western European markets with eastern ones. Albania is the best destination to invest in tourism in Europe. Its economy is the fastest growing economy in Europe. Albania is a blast with natural resources, gold, oil, natural gas, copper, chrome ore, nickel and so many other metals. Albania has a potential to produce 100% green energy .
Albania is a natural wonder and the best tourist destination in the world . It has been chosen on the top 10 best tourist destinations in the world for 2011 by Lonely Planet. Tourism in Albania has increased tremendously in recent years. Albania is a very safe country and very welcoming to tourists, offering the most economic prices in Europe. The country is well worth visiting. It offers numerous beautiful landscapes, archaeological sites, historic castles and other tourist attractions.
Albania has many natural resources and a breathtaking riviera that contrasts the highest of mountains with the plains and coasts, rivers and lakes, all populated by people ready to welcome you into their hearts and offer you hospitality throughout your visit. Albania has a typical Mediterranean climate with dry hot summers and cool rainy winters in the west and a moderate continental one in the east. There are four clear-cut seasons with an average annual temperature of 15°C (59°F). Foreign investors have concentrated their activity in a few sectors of the economy.
Investing in a foreign and mostly unknown country, it doesn’t always mean that you have to be millionaire or a well known investor. The travel costs are very low in every town. To travel by bus in Tirana or other cities of Albania, you have to pay only 30 ALL (Albanian Lek), an amount equal to only 30 cents.
Hospitality
Albania is well known for its incredibly hospitable culture and has its own particular traditions of courtesy. Many Albanian traditions of hospitality come from The Kanun, or “The Code”, a 15th-century text written by the powerful Dukagjin clan, although many of the laws written in the code date from earlier times. As written in The Kanun, the guest will be shown the highest respect by being offered a seat at the head of the table.
It is an Albanian tradition to shake hands when meeting one another, and in many cases, they kiss each other on the cheeks, generally four times. One of the most common gesticulation confusions arises from the fact that Albanians nod their heads up and down to mean “no”, and shake their heads left to right to indicate “yes”. Another specific Albanian gesture that may be confusing to foreigners is when the palm is placed in the chest, it expresses thanks. Also note that it is unacceptable to exhibit yourself topless in the seaside, or worse, naked; of course, there are many isolated places where you can do this in private. Albanians are friendly and very open towards foreigners that visit their country. If you are lucky enough to be invited to visit an Albanian’s home, you will be treated as royalty. As written in The Kanun, the guest will be shown the highest respect by being offered a seat at the head of the table. The guest is then regaled with the best the family has to offer.