After the Sazan and Zvërnec projects, interest from other investors in Vlora - Rama: The airport runway is also expected to be completed in May
Prime Minister Edi Rama, as well as the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, held a meeting today with the mayors of coastal cities and tourism operators regarding preparations for the 2025 summer season.
Kumbaro said that this year, public beach stations have been added, and it is expected that this tourist season will be more successful than last year's.
" Last September, we made a change in the rules related to the management of beach stations. We made a new VKM where we gave priority to public beaches. 973 public beach stations this year, like never before. Combined with the rule that for every 1 km of coastline, 300 meters are public. This is also another innovation. But, in order not to be only on the side of the public interest, we have also given priority to businesses, accommodation structures. There were 1444 applications for beach stations this year. Beach stations cannot be the main business, the main business is sustainable tourism. The plan of measures is already ready for the new summer season. We are preparing for a season that will be higher than any other season, considering that in January and February alone there was an influx of international entries into the territory, about 15-20% more than the same period last year.
We have 700 certified tour guides. By adding public beach stations, there will be a greater burden on municipalities. The responsibility also increases in terms of safety on the beaches. Applications for marine tourism operators continue. In 2024, the summer tourist season did not have any loss of life, due to safety."
On the other hand, Prime Minister Edi Rama emphasized that after Jared Kushner's project in Sazan and Zvërnec, there have been endless requests from other foreign investors to invest in Vlora. Regarding Vlora Airport, Rama said that the runway is expected to be completed within May.
"We have built a new plan and a clearer division regarding public beaches managed by municipalities and those managed by private operators.
Create a municipal administration system where the municipality not only stores, but also offers its own offer for sunbeds and umbrellas. Play around with the declaration of overnight stays. We have reduced the VAT to 6% precisely so that you declare how many. Out of 10 million foreign tourists who visited Albania in 2023, 3 million overnight stays were declared. This year we will give you the opportunity for a pre-declaration. For the period May 1-September 13, a 65% occupancy level based on rooms and for that level you will pay the obligation to the municipalities. Then, from October 1 to April 30, a 20% level. Get ready that in 2026 we will introduce the e-visitor digital platform and then it becomes impossible for there to be any deviations for the entire hotel structure. We want to build an extra parking infrastructure, underground and above-ground parking lots along the entire coastline.
There were 12 million tourists last year, we will reach around 13.5 - 14 million this year, it's a lot for us.
As for the police, it is time to minimize them. The solution is the draft agreement with the United Arab Emirates for the monitoring of all cities and roads with intelligent cameras, with a focus on tourist areas. There will be no more need for police officers. The police and the municipality will be notified in real time through artificial intelligence. Even the throwing of garbage will be monitored. Schools will also be included in this system, to increase school safety.
By May, we will have the runway of Vlora Airport completed. Work is also being done on the terminals. When the airport is completed, the flow will be greater. The Sazan and Zvërnec projects are in progress. Requests to invest in Vlora have come from very large investors, after Kushner.
In Durrës we will expand the entire beach line by 100 meters, we will have a shift of the sand. We will have much more public beach. In parallel with the tourist port, we are also working on another very large project. In Fier we have an extraordinary project with private enterprise. Velipoja is under development. This season will be completely different.
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