THE ROLE OF TOURISM IN THE ECONOMY OF ALBANIA AND TURKEY

Özet

Tourism is known as one of the most critical sectors of the economy. Tourism is among the most dynamic and influential industries in terms of economic impact. The economic effects of tourism have strengthened this sector day by day. Investments made and allocations from the budget emphasize the importance of tourism in economic activities. Tourism is a primary sector for the two countries studied, Albania and Turkey. The number of foreign citizens who entered the Albanian territory only for October 2023 is 691,680. This number has increased by 89.4% compared to October 2022. During the ten months of 2023, the number of foreign citizens who entered the Albanian territory was 8,986,280 persons. This number has increased by 32.3% compared to the same period in 2022. Physical-climatic features, monumental archaeological-historical heritage, rich cultural traditions (crafts, songs, dances, delicious dishes, etc.), and the beautiful Mediterranean beaches are the reasons why tens of millions of tourists visit Turkey every year, ranking it in sixth place in the most popular destinations.

This paper aims to take new essential measures for the growth of the country's economy from the tourism sector. The study period is 2010-2020 and 2022 (post covid). The data are obtained from The World Bank and INSTAT (Institute of Statistics of Albania). The ten years studied showed that 2019 was the year with the most significant economic growth from tourism for Albania, while for Turkey, it was 2018. The year 2022 (post-COVID) resulted in both countries with relatively high economic growth, whereas for Albania, the change was 1.45 billion USD more income compared to 2019. Comparing the two countries analyzed, the period 2018-2019 resulted in a decrease in tourism income for Turkey, while the opposite happened for Albania during the same period; unlike Turkey, we had a significant increase in tourism income. The year 2020 has been the worst year for the tourism economy of both countries, and this is due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which had a negative effect not only on tourism, but on all branches of the economy. At the end of this paper, our country, even with the measures taken until now, needs new strategies related to tourism, which will help not only in further economic growth from tourism but will also affect the further development of Albania.