The northern Albanian region of Malesia e Madhe is one of the most popular regions for holidaymakers this summer season, due in part to a high number of touristic sites, lots of activities, and a large number of accommodation options.
Malesia e Madhe is located at the very northwestern point of the country, near the borders of Kosovo and Montenegro. It consists of areas including Koplik, Kelmend, Qender, Shkrel, Gruemire, and Kastrat. It includes Lake Shkodra, Theth, Valbone, Vermosh, Lepushe, and various other regions that are popular for mountain tourism.
Tonin Marinaj, the mayor of the region, said that certain areas are experiencing record bookings.
“Vermoshi, Lëpusha, keep the record of bookings, while other areas like Razma and the lake line have a large number of tourists,” he told Euronews.
Meanwhile, Albania has been ranked as the second best beach destination in Europe for summer 2022, according to a survey of customer preferences and flight booking when compared to 2019, before the pandemic.
Created by the World Travel Market, the report looks at consumer trends in terms of summer holiday plans across the world. It notes that air travel arrivals are set to reach 71% of pre-pandemic levels in Europe, a figure likely hampered by ongoing chaos due to air worker strikes.
In terms of beach destinations, however, when comparing bookings, Antalya, Turkey, was number one, followed by Tirana, and then Greek destinations like Mykonos, Rhodes, Chania, Heraklion, and Thira. The report states a very “healthy demand” for the countries on the list, including Albania.
According to data from the UN, Albania is performing well in terms of the number of visitors and recovery of its tourism sector from before the pandemic. It earns a mention along with Puerto Rico, St Maarten, and Honduras.
