Albania’s tourism sector has been growing steadily over the past ten years. The World Travel &Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that tourism presently accounts for 8.4% of the country’s GDP, supporting some 85’000 jobs. Yet, Albania’s tourism potential has been far from exhausted. For example, during RisiAlbania’s research on the key bottlenecks in the tourism sector, product development emerged as a key concern. Firstly, current tourism products are often not aligned with tourists’ preferences: they are not market-demand driven. Secondly, there is little diversity among the tourism products offered. While coastal tourism is growing, few innovative products that would allow tourists to fully explore Albania’s regions and rich culture throughout the seasons are being developed. This results in tourists spending less time and money in Albania – a loss for the country’s economy and ultimately the job creation potential of the sector … Click here to read the full story
