In an interview with RT, Dmitry Gorin, Vice-President of the Russian Tour Operators, said reeling in Russian tourists will be a rather tricky task for the Albanians, given that many have already finalized plans for the upcoming tourist season and the small Muslim country has to compete with neighboring Montenegro and Greece as well as Bulgaria, Cyprus and Russia's own Black Sea resorts.
First and foremost, Albanian tour operators will have to motivate Russians to visit Albania, Gorin said, recalling that there are no direct flights between Moscow and Tirana and that it would take a Russian tourist about eight hours to reach the destination.
Be ready to pay at least 20,000 rubles (about 300 dollars) per plane ticket, he said, adding that a tiresome flight to Albania is certainly not the main problem.
"There are 230 resort hotels in the country that can accommodate a total of 8,000 people [but lack the] Turkish-style 'all inclusive' format that was so popular among Russian tourists," Gorin said.
Albania's most picturesque resorts include Saranda, Dhermi, Himara, Durres, Shengjin, Ksamil and Vlore, located on the Adriatic and Ionian Sea coasts. In July, the water warms up to a tepid 26 Celsius; a double room in a small hotel in Vlore typically costs about 700 dollars per week, including breakfasts.
The Albanian resorts are known abroad for their low cost (restaurant bills average 10-15 dollars) and unspoiled, eye-catching environment, according to Gorin, who mentioned the internationally renowned Ksamil Beach. Beach season begins in May in Albania and lasts until the first week of September, he added.
According to him, foraying into the Russian tourism market is most likely a long-term prospect for Albania, which currently receives about 4 million tourists a year and which has yet to be included in the top-50 preferences among Russian tourists.
