Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Anila Denaj shared in the social media the images offered by clicking on the Agritourism AL application, where there are revealed the beauties, tastes and traditions of rural Albania.

Agriturizëm AL and agroturizem.gov.al are online guides for all those who want to visit tourist farms, enjoy local products, traditional cuisine and the special experience that the village offers through this new and developing branch of Albanian tourism.

“Every day of the year, you can choose to visit agritourism farms, camps, towers, wineries, artisans, as well as enjoy folk traditions and local products,” said Denaj.

There are over 200 tourist farms and trips to farms, wine, olives, citrus, mussels and fish on the two platforms, which are of value to agribusinesses and visitors to these beautiful spots in Albania.

Thanks to grant support and fiscal incentives, agritourism is a new reality for rural areas, helping the local economy today and the national economy tomorrow.

Everyone can download the application on the App Store or Play Store, which brings Albanian agritourism to everyone’s smartphone. /j.p/p.s./

Minister of Tourism and Environment Mirela Kumbaro said in a video message that these certifications are an indicator of the increase in employment in the tourism profession, related to the demands of the market.

“I signed 55 new guide certificates, adding to the group of 600 guides of all types, languages, different abilities from rafting to mountain climbing and more, an army of guides that until a few years ago could be counted on one’s fingers. I would like to share this piece of news with you because it shows that there are more and more jobs in what we call today the tourism industry. There are a series of chain professions that serve a whole picture of what we call tourist Albania”, said Kumbaro.

She thanked the staff of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment who worked on the preparation of the documentation.

“But, especially I would like to thank these young people who believe in this new employment market, which is not only a job, but a contribution to Albania because through the skills of these young people, we present Albania as a tourist destination. This shows that there is a demand, there is a market and a future”, said Minister Kumbaro.

Kumbaro emphasized that the profession of the guide, beyond the presentation of the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the country, is important to offer safe tourism in terrains with certain levels of difficulty, where the accompaniment of professional guides is indispensable. /m.m/p.s./

To meet the needs of the market with tourist guides, but also to increase the quality of the service of the guides in our country, one of the multicultural centers in the capital in cooperation with a tourist agency in our country have launched an initiative to train guides preparing them for the labor market.

Elkierd Deliu, head of a tourist agency in an interview for the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, said that young people should not only see the profession of a guide as a way to employment, but even a future, as tourism is becoming a real industry.

“Together with a colleague of mine, we took a step further to realize a start up, setting up a tourist agency, which mainly deals with the foreign market and in particular with the French market. And since we come from the field of tourism, we took an initiative to hold some free training sessions for everyone. Those interested can participate”, said Deliu.

“The topics we have chosen are very important for the work of a guide. The training is also for guides who are currently working, but the focus is on people who do not work as guides, giving them the opportunity to start this journey”, he said.

According to him, the lecturers selected for these trainings are among the best in all fields related to history, art, culture and tourism in the country. “Today, we focus on Byzantine art, last week we had antiquity, while in the future we want to focus the discussion on sustainable tourism, as the future of tourism”, said Deliu.

He said that licensing is a well-defined procedure by the state, while underlining that a serious curriculum is what has been undertaken by the University of Foreign Languages.

Ȅngellushe Haxhi told ATA that this is one of several initiatives undertaken by this center, which was set up and operates on a voluntary basis.

“We want to help the tourism sector, to have professionals in this field”, said Haxhi.

One of the guides who was being trained, Gjergj Nikaj, said that he had returned from abroad to work as a guide, as tourism has the potential to grow more and more.

“I have been working as a guide for two years. I lived in China, Australia, but I came back to my country because I wanted to contribute to my country to present it in the most dignified way. It is a field that has a future. It is also a passion to explain the history of our country to foreigners, so that they get acquainted with a different view of our country. I have divided them: Italians, Americans, Israelis seem to love culture while Dutch and Germans are more in for beer and wine”, Nikaj told ATA. /p.s./

In the routine meeting, the actors of this sector discussed the possibilities of cooperation between mountain guides towards an open and inclusive structure where everyone will be able to offer their contribution to the improvement of the mountain tourism sector in Albania.

Participants from almost all regions of Albania engaged in substantive discussions and shared personal experiences to take the sector even further.

According to them, the formation of cooperative paths for comprehensive development and progress is an important factor in the progress of the mountain tourism sector. /p.s./