TIRANA, Oct 2 /ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama said that developing high-end tourism could become an important driver of Albania’s economy. Speaking at the Future Hospitality Forum 2026, he highlighted Albania’s growing potential for tourism investment and the importance of bringing together industry stakeholders, international brands and investors.
In his speech, Prime Minister Edi Rama highlighted the transformation of Albania’s tourism sector and the new challenge of moving beyond simply increasing visitor numbers towards improving quality and excellence, while attracting high-value investment.
Rama stressed that what we are witnessing today would have been absolutely unimaginable five years ago.
In this regard, the Prime Minister recalled that Albania did not have a single five-star hotel, and that efforts to achieve excellence in the tourism industry were always challenging. “Our country was truly a black hole on the map of Europe’s tourism industry, and those we counted as tourists — the figures on which our statistics were based — were essentially the numbers of travellers entering and leaving the country, including ourselves,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rama said that Albania had grown from just two million tourists to more than 12 million.
However, he said that rather than celebrating the increase in demand, we should be concerned about the urgent need to improve quality.
“We all know that a large number of tourists on middle and lower incomes puts considerable pressure on infrastructure, services, the environment and, indeed, our people. Of course, we know that there are no mechanisms to prevent more people from coming, but at the same time, we are fully aware that we need to create more space and better conditions for excellence to emerge and become a driving force in its own right,” Rama added.
The Prime Minister also highlighted projects involving prestigious architecture firms from around the world, stressing that “through this work, we hope to generate greater interest and gain more ground in attracting more brands and developing more high-income tourism.”
Rama called for more international tourism brands to invest in Albania, stressing that what visitors see and experience matters more than words. He also said that the growing number of tourists has helped Albania overcome long-standing stereotypes and strengthen its integration with the rest of Europe.
Rama described tourists as Albania’s best ambassadors, saying their positive experiences and word-of-mouth recommendations have helped attract more visitors and challenge negative perceptions of the country. He added that Albania is on the right track but now faces a new challenge.
Rama said Albania is facing the challenge of thinking and dreaming big, particularly as major investments are poised to enter the country. He described these as the challenges that come with progress and change, adding that Albania is ready to face them with determination.
Addressing investors, Rama assured them that Albania had overcome its most difficult threshold.
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