In a striking example, Albania has shown how the tourism sector can drive economic development. Following the country’s turbulent economic and political transition in the 1990s, tourism was perched on the sidelines of the Albanian economy. International travel, hospitality and related services essentially catered to returning members of the country’s large diaspora. However, in the 2000s, several major European tourism operators started recognizing Albania’s potential to join the Mediterranean’s thriving, though often overcrowded, sun-and-sand destinations. A surge of investments followed, and, between 2000 and 2019 the number of hotels, rooms, and beds increased more than tenfold. Over the past two decades, the contribution of Albania’s tourism and travel sector to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has steadily increased and reached more than 8%, creating jobs and generating 38% of total exports. Looking back, 2019 was Albania’s best year for tourism, with 6.4 million foreign visitors and $2.3 billion in sectoral earnings. The future looked promising. Unfortunately, when COVID-19 swept across the world, the number of international arrivals plunged by 60% and the sector’s earnings fell to $1.1 billion with the accommodations subsector shrinking by 75% in the second quarter of 2020. While 10% of Albanian businesses reported shutting down, another 60% earned less than 10% of their 2019 revenue, and more than half the employees in the sector were laid off. Luckily, as travel restrictions eased and economies launched recovery efforts, the tourism sector bounced back with the arrival of 5.7 million foreign visitors and tourism earnings achieving pre-pandemic levels during the summer of 2021. While the sector was just finding its feet, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dealt a second blow. The good news is that, despite the war, the summer of 2022 has been even better—as of October, the country received 6.8 million visitors, with projected earnings of more than $3.3 billion. While the recovery was swift and remarkable, COVID-19 exposed the tourism sector’s vulnerability to external shocks, highlighting the need for a more diversified, resilient, and sustainable tourism sector. https://blogs.worldbank.org/europeandcentralasia/tourism-20-albania-new-opportunity-resilient-growth

BRITISH holidaymakers can travel to a European hotspot that is just like the Maldives for less than £30. Because of its sandy beaches, pristine waters and picturesque wooden huts, the Maldives is a dream destination - but it comes with a hefty price tag. For holidaymakers who want to sample a slice of paradise, but can't fork out £800 on return flights, they'll be pleased to know there's an alternative much closer to home. Albania is situated between Montenegro and Greece, and the destination has seen an influx of visitors in the last few years. The country's rise in popularity is largely thanks to the army of TikTok and social media influencers who've holidayed in the Albania Riviera. One of the most popular areas is a small village in the south called Ksamil. Videos of the coastal resort - which boasts turquoise waters with what one tour guide group describes as a "Bora Bora feel" - have racked up more than 60 million views on TikTok. Many suggest it is much like visiting the Maldives - but significantly less pricey. A Ukrainian influencer recently praised Ksmail in a video on Instagram. According to the Mirror, Yuliia Berkuta wrote: "Ksamil is one of the most surprising places I have visited in the Balkans. "This village is home to delicious seafood, a colourful sea and beautiful islands located a stone’s throw away from the village."   https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/21032372/european-hotspot-cheap-maldives-albania/

It used to be rare that journalists would come here,” says Elton Caushi, head of tour operator Albanian Trip, who I meet in the capital, Tirana. “When they did come, they only wanted to talk about blood feuds and sworn virgins.” The traditions that once dominated tribal politics in Albania’s mountains are interesting, but I’m here to probe a more recent view of the south-east European country. Thanks to its beaches, Unesco-stamped cities and hiking routes, formerly communist Albania is being lauded as a “hot new” European travel destination beyond backpacking and dark tourism. For decades, Albania had a reputation as a dangerous, no-go country, thanks largely to its being politically isolated under dictator Enver Hoxha, who died in 1985. After Albania’s 1997 civil war and the end of the Kosovo war in 1999, more visitors gradually started coming to Albania, attracted partly by prices lower than in Greece and Italy. In 2009, 1.9 million tourists travelled to Albania; in 2019, the last full pre-Covid year, the figure was 6.4 million. The food here may be a factor in this shift. I’m with Caushi in a nameless restaurant at 1001 Bardhok Biba, a street close to the city centre. “The tourists haven’t found it – it’s mainly drivers eating here,” he says. I breakfast on sumptuous tasqebap – a soupy mix of veal, garlic, onions and tomato sauce – before Caushi takes me for 9am dessert at Mon Amour, a Parisian-style patisserie. We pay a non-Parisian 390 lek (£2.80) for coffee and baklava pastries with ice-cream. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/aug/06/albania-beaches-cities-mountains-tourism-history-guide