Albania plans for new airport

Albania has confirmed plans for a new airport, as the country aims to boost its tourism industry.

According to the country's national statistics office, INSTAT, the number of foreign visitors arriving in Albania for holidays and day trips in Q3 2014 had increased by 167 per cent on the previous year. With forecasts suggesting this trend will continue, negotiations have begun to add another international airport to cater for the growing demand.
 
Arben Ahmetaj, Albania's Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Entrepreneurship has outlined the country's commitment to developing its tourism sector and believes a new airport, located in the south of the nation, could help to attract a wider group of visitors, helping transform seasonal tourism into a more year round, elite industry.

The Bank of Albania's most recent report shows that income generated by the tourism industry increased by 13 per cent during the first quarter of 2015 year-on-year. With this including both foreign and domestic tourism, it is the average expenditure of non-Albanian residents that has made the biggest impact with a growth of 7 per cent since 2014.
 
When organising a trip, either business or pleasure, one of the first things to research is flight availability and how easy it will be to arrive in the destination of choice, notes Peter Walshe, Sales & Marketing Director of Albania's first affordably luxurious resort, Lalzit Bay Resort & Spa.

Indeed, with interest in Albania as a to-visit destination on the rise from tourist markets including Northern Europe and the Middle East, Minister of Transport Edmond Haxhinasto is determined to appeal to more low cost airlines and provide an extensive timetable of international flights more suited to a mass target market.

"The need to expand Albania's accessibility through international travel highlights its increasing popularity as a tourist destination. With additional motorways and airports creating greater international travel options, and thus allowing more travellers to choose Albania, the tourism industry can expect a real period of growth," comments Walshe. "This new project has the ability to attract more and more tourists to Albania and we are very excited to be involved in the sector at such a progressive time."