Albania

TIRANA – 15 November – A round table discussion was held at the offices of UNDP Albania, as part of the Eco and Cultural Tourism Support programme, to discuss findings from research conducted on the production of Albanian tourism statistical data.

Discussion participants included representatives of the main institutions involved in collecting and interpreting tourism statistics – the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports; the Ministry of Interior; the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT); and the Bank of Albania. Donor agencies interested in the subject also participated (GTZ, SNV, USAID/EDEM project)

Analysis reveals that current data can lead to misinterpretation of the situation in Albania. As featured in “Holiday Money” (The Economist newspaper, online edition - 31 July 2007), which cited data from the World Tourism Organization (Facts & Figures, online database, Tourism Indicators – Inbound Tourism), Albania is on the top of the list of countries in the world for the amount of tourism expenditure per arrived single international tourist.

With this misleading data in mind, various sources of tourism statistics were analyzed. A Summary of Albanian Tourism Statistical Data (prepared by Marco Bordoni, UN Fellow at UNDP Albania), was distributed to help participants understand the current problems.

UNDP Albania organized the discussion with its partners to look for ways to improve the tourism statistical system. The aim of the meeting was to identify and propose solutions and to reach an agreement amongst the relevant institutions. The Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports proposed to follow the Tourism Satellite Account methodology, as recommended by the United Nations, OECD and EuroStat. Having a shared methodology coordinated by the Ministry would allow for a dramatic improvement in the quality of the data produced. SNV and UNDP offered to support with expertise to lead the process.

"It is important to develop a quality tourism statistical information system that is not only useful at the national level but understood and utilized at the local or grassroots level by private sector tourism businesses to increase revenue, employ more people and utilize more local products and support services,” said Dave Milne, SNV Balkan Senior Tourism Advisor. “Local governments and relevant NGOs can also use such data to justify expenditure on tourism infrastructure, marketing and promotion."

The Ministry of Interior announced upgrades to the border point electronic database and INSTAT announced that it would coordinate with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports with an accommodation unit survey.

“I believe that tourism statistics can be improved by adopting better coordination between the involved Albanian and international institutions,” said Mr. Bordoni.

UNDP Albania is contributing to the collection of tourism statistics in Albania through a one-year passenger exit survey at Tirana International Airport and a seasonal visitor survey at four cultural and natural attractions (Berat, Butrint, Gjirokastra and Theth). At the beginning of December 2007, the final report of the seasonal survey and the mid-term report for the airport survey will be published.

The UNDP Eco and Cultural Tourism Support Programme was launched in April 2006 to provide direct support to the Government in implementing its December 2005 “Strategy and Action Plan for the Development of the Albanian Tourism Sector Based on Cultural and Environmental Tourism.” In partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, the primary objective of the Programme is to support the Government of Albania in achieving its development objectives through building a successful tourism sector based on cultural and environmental assets.

For more information, please contact: Ms. Lauren Bohatka Tourism Programme Manager lauren.bohatka@undp.org