Although expected to be better than the previous year, 2021 will not be close to the normal situation before the Covid-19 pandemic, especially for tourism sector. Despite vaccination programs launched in many countries it will be difficult for countries to fully ease movement restrictions.

Global tourism consultants have underlined that maybe the summer of 2022 will mark the turning point towards normalcy in this industry, while full recovery is expected to take 3-5 years, the representative of Albanian Tourism Association Zak Topuzi told local business news provider Monitor in an interview.

“Countries, meanwhile, will have to swim in the unsafe waters of the pandemic and try to survive as best they can. Albania will be based on patriotic tourism (visitors coming from Albanian speaking lands in the neighboring countries such as Kosovo and North Macedonia),” Topuzi noted. 

He also said that the year 2021 has started with further deterioration of the situation in EU countries and the UK and due to the most dangerous mutations of Covid-19. “Due to the blockage of movement from one state to another and restrictions on service activities, the situation is deteriorating. Their governments continue to experience total or partial lockdown,” Topuzi said, adding that the pandemic crisis in Albania has damaged the entire tourism and travel sector, especially agencies and accommodation in all destinations.

According to data from the statistical office Instat, the number of tourists visiting Albania fell by 58.5% in 2020, compared to the same period last year (in fact the decrease is 62.8% as 4.3% are travelers who have crossed transit).

Hotels - although in theory they can stay open - have been forced to close or operate at minimum capacity (mostly on weekends and at reduced prices), especially in major cities.

The union of Albanian business BiznesAlbania, with the technical support of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has conducted a survey on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on enterprises in Albania highlighting a alarming situation.

According to the survey, the hospitality sector is the most affected, 31% of enterprises are not operational and 40% are only partially operational. This sector has the highest number of non-functional enterprises, as they have been forced to close, due to the restrictions imposed under the state of emergency, the measures of the Covid-19 protocol and the Decision of the Council of Ministers (DCM).

According to the survey - in the hospitality sector all companies are affected by the crisis, without exception. 41% of the surveyed companies predict a long recovery period, 72% of them have experienced a high decline in revenue/sales, 75% have reduced labor force number significantly. The prospects for job cuts are worrying.

According to the conclusions of the survey, Albanian tourism needs a recovery program according to international recommendations and more in-depth measures to support the sector.