Pristina airport gears up, from January large influx of Kosovars to travel towards Europe

A few weeks remain when Kosovo citizens are expected to start travelling visa-free to European Union countries. Meanwhile, Kosovars' demand for booking tickets to tourist agencies has increased. Some of the agencies have acknowledged that there will be increased ticket prices in the first month of 2017, while Pristina International Airport has also made preparations for a major influx of trips.

Kosovo citizens have begun their interest in visa-free travel procedures in the 27 countries of the Schengen area in Europe from January 1st 2024. Some of them say that visa-free travel will serve your study opportunities, while others for employment.

Leona Yupoli, who has been living outside Kosovo for 26 years, thinks that Kosovo citizens are more curious to see European countries while praising that life in Kosovo is more interesting.

Then they see that life there is much more difficult because they need more work and I believe that many people have become more accustomed to life here in Kosovo. Many Kosovo citizens come back to Kosovo, as life here is more interesting. It's also a very important society. I'd like to live here myself, but I'm still coming back after I've got company there”, she said.

Orgesa Krasniqi thinks that visa-free travel to European countries will serve not only for visits to family members but also for studies and exchanges of experiences.

If I could visit a country, I'd like to travel for a better education and a better life under better conditions. I think that after I finished my studies there, I would have returned for the” family, Orgesa stressed.

Orjanit Thaci, from the Gjakova municipality, says he once does not plan to travel to European countries, while he thinks many citizens will leave on purpose of employment.

“100 thousand people if they go, 70 thousand will return, while 30,000 will stay there and that will be a huge damage to Kosovo. Liberalization doesn't change anything, anyone can come who wants to. I think now the ticket prices are going up, the salaries are up. ”

Meanwhile, travel agencies have acknowledged that the last two months have increased citizens' demand to reserve travel tickets to European countries. Boygen Beqiri from one of the tourist agencies operating in the capital told Radio Kosovo that the number of people who have reserved tickets is relatively large, while acknowledging that ticket prices are expected to increase during the first months of the year.

Now, for the winter season on the threshold, there are skiing, while the number of people who have reserved is relatively high. At the moment, the offer is being raised because all airline companies or tourist agencies are increasing the number of flights and the number of tourist packages. Also, the demand that will increase more than the bid may initially have price hikes in the first month, but I believe that they will immediately be reduced and will remain affordable prices to travel to Europe”, Beqiri stressed.

Meanwhile Valentina Gara, spokeswoman for Pristina Airport “Adem Jashari”, said that on January 1st they expect a major influx of trips. She told Kosovo Radio that the airport has made all preparations, invested in infrastructure, where the airport terminal is expanding, while four new entrances and exits have been added, and the number of personnel at the airport has increased.

University professor Dritro Arifi sees visa liberalisation as a good opportunity for Kosovo citizens to understand how Europe works in practice.

I think there will be an influx, but not in the negative sense. There will be an influx of interest about what it's like to live in Europe, what Europe looks like, how to accept Europe, etc. As for the labour market, most Kosovars have only found work in recent years in Europe without the visas being liberalised, so we cannot stop this. I think that the psychological and conscious aspect will be that Kosovars returning to Kosovo will have a different approach to politics as well as to the outlook on how a normal state functions. So I see it as positive. Priorly, it would have to be an alarm for the Government of Kosovo and for the private sector that things need to change dramatically, that is, access to the workforce and to their well-being”, Arifi is expressed.

According to a poll conducted by Schengen VisaInfo, 62.3 per cent of respondents have said they do not think of moving to EU countries, compared to 37.7 per cent who want to leave Kosovo one day. As for those who plan to leave Kosovo, the main driver relates to employment, 74.5 percent and tourism 53.2 percent. Germany, Switzerland and France are the top destinations for respondents. In a recent article by Schengen VisaInfo, experts on the issue, as well as business owners, have called on the Government of Kosovo to act and to improve working conditions for employees, as they may risk losing their workforce after visa liberalisation begins in January 2024.

Meanwhile, the Kosovo government is continuing the campaign to inform citizens of visa liberalisation. / RTK