The goal of the Albanian tourism development is to increase the quality of living for a considerable number of Albanians. Tourism development should be measured and assessed in a medium and long-term manner in relation to its ability to improve the well-being of Albanians. As such, it is, can be (and should be) part of the country’s strategy to achieve development priorities, such as the Millenium Devlopment Goal commitments. More tourists do not necessarily mean more development or revenue for Albanians. The kind of tourism that the country chooses to develop is mainly defined by the contribution to the well-being of its citizens.
Emphasizing natural and cultural tourism will keep in focus the benefits for local communities, which are currently faced with limited economic opportunities.
The tangible benefits expected from a successful tourism strategy include: increased employment rates, additional revenues for the economy (core or additional), improved infrastructure, and increased tax revenues that would contribute to the improvement of health-care, education, and other social developments. Less tangible benefits include: confirmation of local culture and traditions, creation of opportunities to keep the young generation interested in residing in Albania or returning to their towns, and exchange of contacts with people of different cultures.
The following pre-conditions are necessary to achieve the objectives and realize the application of the necessary strategies in order to achieve these:
1. Principals of Sustainable Tourism Development be accepted on all levels of planning
Sustainability is a key factor for the tourism development in Albania. Only an environment friendly development process shall be the basis for an economically successful tourism development.
2. Basic infrastructure
The limited infrastructure is a major problem for a quick tourism development in most regions in Albania. The main international Airport in Rinas near Tirana and Durres has to comply with international standards. An additional airport in the South has to be set up for civil use (charter flights) in the future. For the international tourism market charter flights will be of utmost importance in the future. An efficient garbage and sewerage system is indispensable to keep the areas clean and attractive and thus ensuring a sustainable development. The handling of construction waste must also be improved. Connecting streets, water and electricity supply are also essential issues.
3. Clarification of ownership of land and buildings
The clarification of ownership of land and buildings must be completed as soon as possible. Sector Strategy: Tourism Development in Albania 4 Ministria Rregullimit te Territorit dhe e Turizmit
4. National and regional tourism law and regulations
The responsible governmental bodies have to work out a modern tourism law and additional regulations for tourism development.
5. Law enforcement
The enforcement of the existing law, especially in the field of construction such as regulations, building permissions, pollution is essential for a sustainable tourism de-velopment.
6. Clear responsibilities for tourism development on all levels
Responsibilities for the department of tourism within the ministry and all other Minis-tries and Institutions touching the field of tourism must be clearly defined.
7. Regional and national stability
8. Improved statistical information system
Effective tourism development needs profound information of the development of supply and demand. Therefore an efficient collection and analysis of the necessary data according to international standards must be organized on national, regional and local level.
9. Public / Private Commitment
The development of the tourism sector must be promoted through the government, particularly in the beginning. Most important is the concentration of the limited re-sources to few selected areas with the highest tourism potential and the best cost / benefit ratio. Also the private sector will need to commit funding if the potential benefits of tourism are to be achieved. This funding will need more than one year funding cycles and stronger public/private partnerships will be required if government funding is to be leveraged effectively. Sector Strategy: Tourism Development in Albania.
2.2.2 Tourism Development from 2003 to?????/
The number of foreign visitors has increased from 309,000 in 2003 to 914,000 in 2006
Tourism revenues as part of the GDP are calculated at 3.8%
The number of people employed in the tourism sector is 138,000
Tourist accomodation units (TAU)
No. of hotels
No. of beds in hotels
No. of TAU
No. of beds in TAU
No. of licensed hotels
No. of classified hotels
666
20 917
908
31 712
36
28
80 % of hotels have 1-20 rooms,
13 % of hotels have 20-40 rooms,
7% of hotels have more than 40 rooms,
14.29% of hotels are classified as one-star,
25% of hotels are classified as two-star,
35.71% of hotels are classified as three-star,
14.29% of hotels are classified as four-star,
10.71% of hotels are classified as five-star
Distribution of hotels
Most hotels are found in Tirane, Velipoje, Golem and Sarande.
Concerns related to “Incentive Person” titles
The existing tourism development situation shows that to date 96 structures, mainly in the coastal areas, have been given incentives. Fifty-one of them have been constructed on non-public state property and 45 on private property. The agreements signed with these subjects present developmental, economic, and financial concerns, bringing about:
Development of a site into a different destination (use) from tourism,
Low impact on employment, tourism-related professional updating and limited use of local product,
Use of tourism development priority construction sites (land-site, limited source) for residential buildings, which limits the generation of revenues from tourism,
Incentive benefits for non-tourism related structures.
Table: IP with a rent agreement (RA)
Area
IP with RA
Types of structures
Surface area rented out
Tourist Village
Tourist Complex (resort)
Hotels
Tourist ports
Golem
40
13
16
11
586254 m2
58,6 ha
Durres
Shkembi Kavaje
3
2
1
59100 m2
5,9 ha
Sarande-Ksamil
5
2
2
3 202 130 m2
320 ha
Orikum
2
1
1
127 400 m2
12,7 ha
Gjiri Lazli
1
1
120 000 m2
12 ha
TOTAL
51
16
18
14
2
401 ha
In the World Economic Forum (WEF) report of 2007, which evaluates and ranks country competitiveness, Albania ranks in 90th place of 124 countries, ranking above countries that have a long-time successful and established tourism, such as Kenya, Ecuador and Nepal. This proves that Albania has the potential to compete successfully. The analysis considered strong and the weak points in regard to cultural and natural assets, sector and human resources upgrading, institutional roles in long-term building and successful support of the tourism sector.
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Albania’s ranking proves its excellent potential for tourism. The people are hospitable and open to visitors and the country is secure and stable. However, the ranking also points to weaknesses that harm competitiveness, such as lack of political will to undertake concrete actions, weak system of environmental protection and management, a difficult investment climate, unresolved land title rights and non-effective infrastructure and promotion efforts.
WEF REPORT: ALABANIA AND THE NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES
General index
Regulatory framework
Business environment and infrastructure
Human, cultural and natural resources
COUNTRIES
Ranking
Ranking
Ranking
Ranking
Albania
90
94
114
43
Macedonia
83
114
82
44
Serbia-Montenegro
61
79
80
13
Croatia
38
58
40
11
2.3 Role of the government in tourism sector
The objective of the law for the tourism Nr .9734, date 14.5.2007 is:
To establish the principles and rules that operate in the field of tourism, the establishment and development of standards in tourism services and other services related.
-Government support for the development of tourism
State bodies, in cooperation and under the auspices of the Minister of the Ministry responsible
on tourism, facilitate the development of tourism:
a) drawing up tourism development plans for each municipality and comune;
b) providing tourist information and organizing educational activities and
promotion;
c) taking measures for infrastructure development and establishment of facilities in areas
tourism development, tourist villages, tourist areas, tourist sites and resorts;
d) promoting investments in tourism in remote areas and with low population;
e) proposing fiscal policies incentives for tourism businesses, for individuals and
legal entities in the areas of tourism development, touristic villages, places and touristic points
that are operating in tourism enterprises.
-Tourism development plans prepared in accordance with the provisions of this law contain:
a) provisions for the development of tourism and the definition of specific areas for
this purpose;
b) evaluation of the invested capital from different investors, in accordance with national plans, municipal and communal, development for a period of 5 years, 10 years or longer;
c) the provisions of the work plan in the infrastructure of the area in places and touristic points, in line with national tourist potential and the socio-economic development plans;
d) The provisions of promotion and marketing activities;
e) the provisions of educational activities and the need for continuous professional development.
2.3.1 Infrastructure issues
The lack of basics infrastructure was identified rightly as the key core issue to impede the development of Albanian tourism and major efforts have been made to improve the situation in the recent years. Water supply, waste water and canalization, solid waste collection and disposal, highways and coastal access roads and parking at the touristic hot spots during the season are just the key issues which had to be addressed and have been addressed in the recent years. A lot has been achieved but given the immensity of the challenges of this still poor country which has lost most of the 20th century and was not been part of the western modernization drive of the 19th as well the gap between Albania and even its close neighbors of Montenergo and Macedonia is still a major obstacle to touristic development. The road issue has improved but water and waste is still the major challenge. Water especially is actually the biggest challenge of Albania. There is either too much or too less and it is never where it should be. In winter there is too much rain leading to flooding or snow emergencies in the mountains and flooding later in the season. If there is too less of it the energy situation turns precarious as most of the energy comes from the Drin Hydropower cascade and with a lack of rain the country is reaching not just a energy emergency but as well a budgetary crisis due to the subsidized energy imports necessary. During the tourist season the water supply to the main tourist site has a history of issues as has the elecrictiy supply due to the demand peaks in August which the systems lack the capacity to cope with. Waste water is another issue as despite major GoA and donor support still a lot of waste water is left untreated into rivers and the sea and the resulting environmental and hygienically situation is the issue of many bitter memories of Kosovo tourists with skin disease of their children following their Durres holidays. Solid waste removal and cleaning of the beaches has been another issue which has to be tackled. Again the issues of licensing beach areas to private operators following the Montenegro example seems to be the better approach then to rely simple on municipality services. Concerning solid waste it seems less a issue of collection capacity but of collecting of municipal waste fees. This leads again to ownership issues and the solutions described in that chapter. And to the fact that given the low and reasonable low tax rates of 10% flat, it is a fact as flat as the tax that all over charges like waste, water and electricity have to be set at levels that are covering all costs and allow for profits and neither of them allows as a means for social transfers. Nobody owning a property in a prime touristic area is in the need of subsidized community services.
Basic infrastructure is a prerequisite for tourism development and somebody has to pay for it. It can be the state or its international donors, the property owners of the area or the consumers meaning the tourist’s using it or best a combination of all based on case by case utility.
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