TIRANA, 12 September
The foreign tourists visiting Albania are spending more money each year. According to data by the Bank of Albania, during the first 6 months of 2019, the costs of foreigners in Albania, reached a record value of €854 million, with an increase of 8.8% compared to the same period of last year. Other data by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) on its publication of 23rd July titled ‘Movements of people in Albania’ reveal that during the period January-June 2019, Albania was visited by 2.1 million foreign visitors, with an increase of 11.3% compared to the same period of last year.
More entries were registered by the citizens from Kosovo, followed by North Macedonia, Greece, Italy, United Kingdom, Montenegro, Germany, Poland, U.S.A., Spain, etc. Their increase in numbers has increased their expenses too, but the Albanian tourist operators confirm that in general, they are not very generous when they come to Albania. In the group of tourists that have vacationed recently in the Albanian Riviera, among Czechs, Norwegians, and Polish, the hotels estimate that none of these groups are known as big spenders.
Ariol Haxhillari, general manager of FaFa Hotel says that these groups of tourists are very careful when it comes to gastronomy. They prefer a salad or a light dish. Their cuisine is completely different from the Albanian cuisine. They prefer to consume more drinks, especially wine, and in this case the wine ‘Made in Albania’.
The foreigners from north of Europe come to Albania with a very selective culture regarding gastronomy. They eat less, compared to the people of the Balkan region. They spend more on drinks than for food,- says another manager of a hotel in Durres. Whereas, Albanians having a Balkan culture, don’t save when it comes to their vacations abroad. Data from the Bank of Albania say that Albanians spent €697 million on their holidays abroad in the first 6 months of 2019, an increase of 11.7% compared to the same period of last year.
Other data from INSTAT show that during the period January-June 2019, went abroad more than 2.6 million Albanians, with an increase of 10.9% compared to the same period of last year. Although more foreigners are coming to Albania each year, in the first 6 months of 2019 the money that has remained net in Albania (the balance of travels) is lowered by 3.3%, with the value of €157 million, because the expenses of Albanians abroad have grown rapidly compared to the foreigners in Albania.
Source/Monitor.al, INSTAT
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