Russian aggression in Ukraine is not expected to greatly affect Albanian regional tourism. Albania and Ulcinj, as part of the Montenegrin coast, expect Russian and Ukrainian tourists but not as much as other nationalities. Representatives of the tourism sector from these two countries expect to have a successful tourist season this summer regardless of what is happening in Ukraine.
Last year, according to data from the Institute of Statistics, of the 5.6 million foreign nationals who visited Albania, 110,205 were Ukrainians, while 36,475 were Russians. Albania lifted visas for Russians for the tourist season, giving them a 90-day residence permit, in a bid to attract more Russians to Albanian beaches.
The member of the Association of Tourism Union in Albania, Kujtim Dervishi told KosovaPress, that despite the possible impacts from the war, the expectations are that the number of tourists who will spend their holidays in Albania will exceed that of the 2019 season, the last season before the pandemic and earthquake that hit several coastal areas.
“The war in Ukraine will affect both Albanian tourism and tourism in Kosovo, of course we opened the tourist season in the institutions of the Albanian state, where we had many guests from all over Albania and of course we did it to show all the restaurants, hotels and hospitality in Albania, that this year, 2022 tourism I think will be successful despite the war in Ukraine. […] I can not speak with concrete figures but I think it will exceed the input of 2019, the year 2022 will be quite successful in Albanian and Kosovar tourism. We are working towards achieving the objectives of 2022,” he said.
Dervishi says that all measures have been taken by the state authorities to create conditions for tourists to spend the best holidays.
“Albania and especially the Albanian Ministry of Tourism has taken measures mainly for a clean environment, because without a clean environment tourism can not be developed, and this means that we are preceded by the entire Albanian hotel industry, after this pandemic, after the war, after the earthquake in Albania. I think this will be the most successful year for Albania”, he said.
Montenegro also expects that the situation in Ukraine will not have much impact on tourism. Especially in the city of Ulcinj, which for Kosovars is a favorite destination to spend summer days.
The President of the Tourism Association in Ulcinj, Gëzim Hajdinaga said that in this city even in the past years there were not many tourists from Russia and Ukraine, therefore he does not expect the situation there to greatly affect the number of vacationers.
“I believe that Ulcinj will be hit less than the others, because we generally have a small percentage. We have had tourists from Ukraine and Russia, and above all we have always focused on our region but also on other Western European countries, normally Poland and the Czech Republic who are regular guests in our city, so above all, the respect and that in what we rely on is Kosovo, which has traditionally, for several years now, had chosen Ulcinj to spend their holidays”, said Hajdin Aga.
As in Albania, so in Ulcinj, the main burden of tourism this year, according to representatives of these associations, is expected to be borne by vacationers from Kosovo and Albanians from other countries.
