Kosovars' interest in tourism grows in Albania

Unlike other years, some 180 thousand Kosovo Albanians have come to rest in Albania less than a year ago. Data has been released by INSTAT, showing a 17 per cent drop in these tourists compared to the same period a year ago.

For the first time since 2009, most Kosovo Albanians refuse to spend their holidays in Albania. The main index is figures published by the Institute of Statistics. From January to July this year came 182,000 citizens from Kosovo less than the same period a year ago, with a 17% drop. The fatal blow was dealt in July, where the contraction was 33%. A total of 297 thousand citizens from Kosovo took place from 444 thousand July a year ago.

And yet again it is the Kosovo Albanians who rank first on the list of vacationers coming to Albania.

But the highest increase in foreign citizens' entry in the first seven months of the year has marked the Italians, with 66 thousand more entrances, totaling 182,000 entrances. The echo that made the Italian media pages to Albania compared with the Caribbean, good and cheap foods, and hospitable people has also become the cause.

Second for higher growth are Macedonians. Even this year their entrances increased by 20% for July and 10% for 7 months, marking total 342 thousand.

This summer's surprise are Polish. This is also about the fact that Albanian hotels were grouped to provide all of the services involved (all inclusive), a innovation for the Albanian tourism model. Despite high growth, however, the weight of Polish tourists remains very low. In the first seven months, about 60 thousand Poles (half of them came in July), representing only 2.2% of the total entry of foreign citizens for the period in question.

High increases in absolute but low weights have been marked by Swiss, English, Americans this year.