The tourism industry, one of the main pillars of Albania’s economy, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The future of tourism this summer season in Albania is in question, however, representatives of this sector have their proposals for the government to create opportunities for them to operate.
On the TV show, “In a Few Words” with Neritan Sejamini, stakeholders discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector in Albania, how movement restrictions hit the tourism sector and the situation one year on from when the pandemic began.
During the interview, Arben Çipa, president of the Association of Tourism Industry in Saranda, stressed two main demands for the government.
“I would propose that the staff engaged in the hotel sector be given priority of vaccination along with teachers and priority risk groups” said Çipa, adding that the vaccination of employees of the tourism sector will give security and bring more foreigners.
“The interest is high according to our travel partners, but the Free Movement ban creates security problems for all parties,” he added.
The second proposal, stated by Çipa, was financial support from the government for registered hotel employees, employees of various services and transport companies.
“We expect support from the government for survival”, said Çipa.
However Çipa said there is a reason to be optimistic. “Vaccination of the elderly throughout Europe is something positive because this age group includes a large part of foreign tourists” according to him.
He emphasized that if the necessary measures are taken and the trust of the sector is guaranteed, that a number of tourists can be attracted to the country this summer.
In 2020, about 3.8 million people entered Albania, a significant decrease from the previous years.
Besnik Vathi, president of the Albanian Tour Operators Association during the interview said that “the tourism sector has lost almost 60-70% of its employees”.
According to him, the pandemic crisis has closed or temporarily suspended about 70% of businesses that are related to tourism.
“It is estimated about 10% turnover during 2020 compared to 2019”, declared Vathi
Government assistance was insufficient, according to the head of the tourism association as not everyone benefited from the economic aid packages, while no one benefited from the sovereign guarantee as the banks classified the tourism sector at risk.
The tourism sector has benefited from the government’s second financial package where the employees of this sector were given only EUR 320 salary.
The government said it made sovereign credit available to businesses but left it up to the banks to decide to whom they would give it based on the risk they assessed.
Vathi stressed that “this summer will be like last year if no measures are taken”.
He highlighted the lack of reservations, travel closure to places that generate tourists, and the slow progress of vaccination in Albania as the main reasons why the situation is critical for businesses operating in the field of tourism
Tourism contributes $ 1.12 billion a year directly to the country’s GDP, equivalent to about 8.5%. While the indirect impact on the country’s production is as much as 25% of GDP, or $3.47 billion.
The industry also, directly and indirectly, supports some 290,000 jobs.
