Mirela Kumbaro, Minister of Tourism and Environment, met with operators of nature tourism, guesthouses, and agritourism near Vjosa River National Park.
The number of visitors to the protected areas between January and August 2024 was 3.8 million, an 18% rise over the same time the previous year.
“Vjosa is not only a river; it’s an economy. Furthermore, we must exercise extreme caution since the moment we touch it, inadvertently damage it, or act rashly, we run the risk of jeopardizing the company’s future. Thereby, the notion of ecotourism and sustainable tourism has given rise to various tourism-related industry activities”, stated Minister Kumbaro.
Minister Kumbaro also highlighted the fiscal incentives, such as the reduced VAT rate of 6% for hotels and guesthouses, 5% for agro-tourism and 0% for small businesses.
“These apparently small steps have helped to widen the economic chain today and inspired you to create new kinds of tourism offerings.” Vjosa has become Albania’s best business card, and it wouldn’t make sense without you. In order to register it as a special category on the World Natural Heritage list, we worked with the National Agency of Protected Areas for a year and presented a complete dossier to UNESCO.”
Additionally, the Minister of Tourism and Environment noted that travelers to Gjirokastër also visit Përmet and other nearby municipalities. She says that the seven municipalities in this area and the destination management company “Visit Gjirokastra” should be credited for developing a prototype for an organized tourist destination.
“In such a small area, we can keep tourists for up to a week. And this is not just by talking about Përmet, or Këlcyra, or Gjirokastra. Vjosa unites us all as a unique map with many proposals in it,” the Minister continued.
Minister Kumbaro discussed the income that tourism generates for the Albanian economy at the conclusion of her address. She mentioned that the Bank of Albania’s report from 2022 stated that €2.8 billion had entered the Albanian economy; by 2023, that amount had increased to €4.2 billion. There were €500 million more in the first half of this year than there were in the same period last year, indicating that greater attempts would be made to legalize the tourism-related sector.