Speaking at the opening ceremony of the ITB Berlin 2025 fair where Albania is the country of honor under the slogan “All Senses”, he said that, “Albania is a partner country in ITB and maybe I may decide to go to Albania this year”.

“It will be my next vacation. The UN Tourism Barometer shows that Albania has become a magnet for tourism and is leading in terms of growth rates”, said Pololikashvili.

He also praised Albania’s efforts for sustainable tourism.

“It was more than natural to become part of the Sustainable Tourism Council. Albania emphasized its commitment to protect the environment by promoting tourism as a key factor in its economic development”, he said.

Further on, Pololikashvili noted that Albania is open to the world and its efforts are also reflected in the EU membership negotiations.

“Appreciating progress with the reforms that the Albanian government has made, setting the pace in this direction, it attaches great importance to good infrastructure and environmentally friendly investments, transparent and regular processes,” Pololikashvili stated.

He emphasized that Albania has made a lot of progress and that there is still more to be done. /j.p/p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama published today the latest UNWTO dashboard carrying tourism results and which refers to the period June 2022-June 2023.

“Here is also the comparative table from June last year to June this year, just published by the World Tourism Organization, where Albania ranks third for growth in tourism, after Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but without the World Cup,” wrote Rama. /p.s./

Citing the World Tourism Organization, Balla said Albania ranked second globally for the international tourist arrivals after Saudi Arabia in June 2023.

“According to data from the World Tourism Organization, Albania ranked second globally for the international tourist arrivals after Saudi Arabia in June 2023. Look at the global ranking,” Balla said in a post on the social media.

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According to the data provided by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Qatar and Saudi Arabia are ranked first.

Overall, international tourist inflows reached 80% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2023.

Some 235 million tourists traveled internationally in the first three months, more than double the same period in 2022. However, the tourism recovery also faces some challenges.

Due to the long coastline, Albania offers several beaches, from north to south, such as in Velipoja in Shkodra, in Shengjin in Lezha, in Durres, Vlora, Himara, Saranda, etc., these beaches are frequented not only by Albanians, but also by foreign citizens, who choose Albania as a tourist destination during the summer months. Also, Gjirokastra, Berati, Butrinti, Kruja, Tirana, Shkodra, etc., are popular destinations for historical and cultural tourism.

Also, our country has conditions for year-round tourism, due to the relief, which offers opportunities for tourism from the south to the north. The tourist villages of the north of the country have recently seen a high number of tourists, while the infrastructure for adventure tourism is also being developed.

Albania also has many rivers, lagoons and national parks that attract tourists from all over the world./k.s/p.s./

During his speech at the International Forum “The Future of Sustainable and Environmental Tourism in Albania”, which started the second day of the proceedings with the panel “The role of governments in shaping future agendas”, Pololikashvili emphasized that all together they should create a tourist destination called “Visit the Balkans”.

“All together, together with Albania, we must create a tourist destination called “Visit the Balkans”. And we want them to visit 4-5 countries within 4-5 days. The second is the visa policy, so that we have one visa and the tourist has the opportunity to visit these 4-5 countries”, he said.

Minister of Tourism Mirela Kumbaro, in a statement for the media, appreciated this idea, adding that in this way tourists can stay longer in the Balkans.

“We don’t see each other as competitors, this is our approach, but we see it as a complement to a market that will keep longer tourists coming from distant destinations in the Balkans,” stated Kumbaro.

The International Tourism Forum being held in the Palace of Congresses organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization will continue on Wednesday. /p.s./