TIRANA, Oct 24 /ATA/ – Albania and Bulgaria have signed an action plan aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation in the field of tourism.
The accord was signed on Thursday during a meeting between the Minister of Tourism and Environment Mirela Kumbaro and her Bulgarian counterpart Evtim Miloshev, who shared experiences and explored ways of cooperation and tourism projects in the region.
The meeting also focused on efforts to restore direct flights between Tirana and Sofia and the idea of creating a common Balkans tourist destination with an emphasis on attracting tourists from overseas markets.
Tourism Minister Kumbaro said that stronger cooperation in creating common destinations would boost value of both countries for the oversea visitors.
“The Balkans are too small for us to divide the market. We should be more open and advertise each other. Albania and Bulgaria have an exceptionally rich cultural and natural heritage: archaeology, UNESCO sites, potential for religious tourism. Our cuisine is also a connecting element,” Kumbaro said.
“It would be great for our markets to open up and create common tourist maps, especially in order to attract visitors from distant and oversea markets. It is in best interest of our both countries, as well as other countries in the region to create joint itineraries. This is the goal of the action plan we signed today for tourists from Asia and America to visit both Albania and Bulgaria. Tourism is not just a market, economy and industry, but it is also emancipation and integration,” she stated.
Kumbaro said that Albania has already made significant investments in infrastructure and agritourism’s development.
“Our philosophy is to connect all possibilities for tourism – mountains, the sea, and cultural heritage – in a single year-round product. Over 25% of our territory is protected, and that is an attraction for a new type of tourists seeking sustainable experiences,” she noted.
During the meeting, Bulgaria’s Tourism Minister Miloshev lauded performance of Albania’s tourism sector, as confirmed by UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer.
Albania attracted over 10 million tourists last year, and expects an increase by 25% by the end of 2024. More than 57.000 tourists from Bulgaria have visited Albania since January this year.
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