Albanian tourism associations have signed a petition calling on the government to help them overcome the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses.
According to them, all spring reservations were cancelled, 80% of summer reservations have been cancelled, and 20% have been postponed. This is expected to cause a loss of EUR 1.5 billion during 2020.
The petition, addressed to Prime Minister Edi Rama and to the Ministries of Tourism, Finance, and the Environment, the associations have called on them to consider six requests. These include the abolition of all taxes until the end of 2020, wage subsidies for employees of large tourism businesses, to freeze instalments and create soft loans for the accommodation sector, and the provision of bonuses for local tourists if they book through Albanian operators or travel agencies.
They criticised the current measures implemented by the government which have all but excluded seasonal business owners and employees. Signatories also requested a meeting with Rama within 10- days to get an answer. If these requests are not met, they will hold protests in front of the Prime Minister’s Office.
