Tourism Trend during the Pandemic: A Case Study of an Albanian Accommodation Facility through the Online Booking System

Abstract

The task of this paper is to investigate the extent to which the tourism industry is affected by the pandemic during the year 2020. The aim is to shed light on the influx of tourists during 2020 - 2021 in comparison with the previous year, that of 2019. Emphasis will also be placed on the nationalities of tourists visiting Vlora. The accommodation facility under analysis is an apartment unit located by the seaside in the city of Vlore which provides hospitality to foreigners. The findings confirm the fact that the numbers of tourists during 2020 had shrunk compared to previous years and the countries mostly entering Albania were those bordering our territory such as the Republic of Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, and Serbia. Online booking reservation system of the apartment unit reveals interesting data on the number, percentage and nationality of accommodated tourists.

Methods

The majority of trips to the country are made by tourists who show a keen interest in the history, traditions, customs, cultural values and language of the country they are visiting. In contrast to the past, Albania is becoming an increasingly popular choice for foreign visitors who are enthusiastic about what they find there.1 The Albanian tourist industry is undergoing a rapid expansion in terms of the services that it offers to foreign visitors, with 46 tourist operators and 154 travel agencies currently active in different cities, and 252 professional certified guides offering their services across the entire country. According to data provided by the General Directory of Taxation, there are 2,437 accommodation structures operating in the country, an increase of 186%, since 2013. Hotels make up about 65% of the total, while the remaining accommodation consists in private houses and guest rooms. A particularly substantial increase in the capacity of accommodation was recorded in the municipalities of Vlora and Saranda, with a growth in capacity of around 32% compared to 2018 (Ministry of Tourism and Environment, 2018).

Results

Much interest poses even the reason of travelling to Albania and staying at the apartments. The main reason is for leisure with 86.21% during 2021 and 70.595 during 2020. Quite a similar figure with a slight difference. While, the others do not specify it in the platform, comprising 13.79% and 23.53% during 2020. The results are expected since the main purpose tourists visit this accommodation facility is for leisure. Taking into consideration its location and proximity to the beach one can easily assume that this place is quite comfortable for summer holidays.

Conclusions

The results showed that there were differences in tourists` numbers among European and non-European visitors during 2020 which marked the isolation year and 2021. Tourists who mostly booked at Redsun Apartments were from Albania and the neighbouring countries which could travel based on a rapid test certificate. Europe had strict regulations or some were totally closed for travellers to enter. So, the destination with no travel restrictions was Albania. Fortunately tourism improved during 2021 during which European tourists such as French and British would come as well. Gradually, the tourism industry improved and more travellers were visiting Albania for leisure purposes as demonstrated by the data and reservations at the apartments under analysis.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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