The recent decision by the Albanian Government to remove visas for Saudi Arabia citizens during the tourist season was awaited with interest in this country, as reflected also on local portals.
Regarding this decision, Arab Weeks Days has published an interview with our ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sami Shiba, who states that "Citizens from Saudi Arabia can travel and enter Albania without visas from April 2018 to October 31, 2018.
"For Saudi travelers who want to come to Albania there is no specific requirement. During the summer period, from 1 April 2018 to 31 October 2018, Saudi citizens can travel to Albania without a visa, without having to obtain a visa at the Embassy of Albania. The trip can be made with a valid passport. I want to use this opportunity to invite Saudi tourists to consider Albania as one of the best options when making their vacation plans," says the Albanian ambassador.Further on, he speaks of the exceptional tourist potentials of Albania's coastline and mountainous areas.
Natural beauty, its geographical position and the enjoyable Mediterranean climate make Albania a unique tourist destination in Europe throughout the year. These factors contributed to the increase in the number of foreign nationals visiting Albania as tourists during 2017 to over 5.2 million. Recently, Albanian tourism has grown, entering on tourist packages that show its most precious features, such as: sun and sea tourism, historical and cultural tourism, mountain and field tourism.
Albania has a considerable coastline of 450 km and stretches along the Adriatic and Ionian sea, where within a few minutes tourists can experience the mountain climate of Llogara and the warmth of the coast of Dhërmi. "In addition to the beaches, the Adriatic coast is rich in lagoons and natural ecosystems. The Ionian Coastline is known for its fascinating beaches with deep and very clean waters. One of the most interesting tourist areas of the country is the Albanian Riviera, the place where the sun lies in the deep sea, wonderful configurations of small isolated beaches, mountains and hills covered with Mediterranean vegetation, etc. This is the warmer region of Albania and is blessed with 300 sunny days. The city of Saranda is the most populous city in the Albanian Riviera and is a great tourist destination, preferred especially by newly-married couples in the honeymoon. The city is well positioned on the seaside which is only 9km away from the island of Corfu."
Albania is rich in natural water resources, such as rivers, lakes and a long seafront. Two of the most important ecosystems are the lakes of Shkodra and Ohrid, recognized by the RAMSAR Convention and UNESCO. Albania is also rich in resources, rivers and streams. Four wonderful springs for their natural beauty are the Blue Eye in Saranda, Cold Water in Tepelena, Viroi in Gjirokastra and Syri i Sheganit in Lake Shkodra.
Albania has important resources for the mountainous tourist development. The Albanian Alps in the north, the mountains along the Ionian Sea, the mountains of Kruja, Berat and Elbasan offer great opportunities to be visited by tourists throughout the year, even during the winter as there is a mild climate. Albania offers very traditional accommodation in its mountainous regions, allowing for an interesting experience of cultural immersion.