Monday, March 10, 2014

Albania: A Look at Peripheral Ukraine Effects

by Phillip Butler

The crisis in Ukraine now threatens western Balkans nations like Albania with further stalled economies and more. Even despite the recent announcement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Urban Development and Tourism of Albania to commit to working together to promote tourism in Albania, the gridlocked detentes in between the US, EU, Britain, and Russia over Ukraine may well spell disaster for all Balkan’s travel.

Edi Rama
Just as Prime Minister Edi Rama tries to fashion a modern Albania, EU-Russia tensions threaten to wreck his efforts – Courtesy Rama’s Facebook

It’s no secret among travel executives the new found freedom of Russians to visit ports of call all across Europe was and is a boom. Now, with US President Obama and his allies seemingly intent on slamming doors on Russia growth, and vice versa, Albania may be a casualty of the most recent upheaval.

Just as a new Prime Minister takes over and forges forward toward a modern Albania, the larger landscape is fraught with uncertainty. The National Tourism Agency of Albania having just received wings from Edi Rama, only to have them clipped by Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. Whoever emerges victorious in the Great Game, if moderation does not come soon Albania and the other Balkans will suffer this year. The season is upon us.
Tourism as a percentage of population - courtesy mecometer.com

Tourism as a percentage of population – courtesy mecometer.com

For Albania in particular, Russian

According to MacroEconomyMeter, Albania is now one of the fastest growing touristic destinations not only in Europe, but in the world. The country’s real tourism growth over the last decade has exceeded 700%. According to the OECD Library inbound international arrivals to Albania have more than doubled since 2006. Any disruption of what “was” a relatively stable EU to Russia and Eastern Europe flow of money and travelers, will certainly negatively impact every country in Europe. Those emerging from war and communist era negatives will be most dramatically impacted logically. While Russians traveling to Albania do not represent a significant group element, neither do US or even German travelers. What’s significant in these reports are the vast number of Greeks and Italians traveling to the country.

So, as Ukraine and the world powers impact the EU and east Europe markets, so too will Albania and the Balkans be negatively affected. Discussing the impact of  outbound Russia tourism, eTurboNews recently framed Russia as second overall in this category. To quote ETN:
- See more at: http://www.argophilia.com/news/albania-and-ukraine-crisis-effects/214054/#sthash.udDPalqs.dpuf

Albania: A Look at Peripheral #Ukraine Effects

The crisis in Ukraine now threatens western Balkans nations like Albania with further stalled economies and more. Even despite the recent announcement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Urban Development and Tourism of Albania to commit to working together to promote tourism in Albania, the gridlocked detentes in between the US, EU, Britain, and Russia over Ukraine may well spell disaster for all Balkan’s travel.
Edi Rama
Just as Prime Minister Edi Rama tries to fashion a modern Albania, EU-Russia tensions threaten to wreck his efforts – Courtesy Rama’s Facebook
It’s no secret among travel executives the new found freedom of Russians to visit ports of call all across Europe was and is a boom. Now, with US President Obama and his allies seemingly intent on slamming doors on Russia growth, and vice versa, Albania may be a casualty of the most recent upheaval.
Just as a new Prime Minister takes over and forges forward toward a modern Albania, the larger landscape is fraught with uncertainty. The National Tourism Agency of Albania having just received wings from Edi Rama, only to have them clipped by Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. Whoever emerges victorious in the Great Game, if moderation does not come soon Albania and the other Balkans will suffer this year. The season is upon us.
Tourism as a percentage of population - courtesy mecometer.com
Tourism as a percentage of population – courtesy mecometer.com
For Albania in particular, Russian
According to MacroEconomyMeter, Albania is now one of the fastest growing touristic destinations not only in Europe, but in the world. The country’s real tourism growth over the last decade has exceeded 700%. According to the OECD Library inbound international arrivals to Albania have more than doubled since 2006. Any disruption of what “was” a relatively stable EU to Russia and Eastern Europe flow of money and travelers, will certainly negatively impact every country in Europe. Those emerging from war and communist era negatives will be most dramatically impacted logically. While Russians traveling to Albania do not represent a significant group element, neither do US or even German travelers. What’s significant in these reports are the vast number of Greeks and Italians traveling to the country.
So, as Ukraine and the world powers impact the EU and east Europe markets, so too will Albania and the Balkans be negatively affected. Discussing the impact of  outbound Russia tourism, eTurboNews recently framed Russia as second overall in this category. To quote ETN:
- See more at: http://www.argophilia.com/news/albania-and-ukraine-crisis-effects/214054/#sthash.udDPalqs.dpuf

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