Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Blendi Klosi, visited one of the first Albanian agritourism models in the area of Ishem, Durres. Accompanied by a group of newly returned emigrants and young people graduated from foreign universities, they discussed the rural and countryside development challenges, as well as the agritourism business potential not just to earn a living, but to prosper.
The Albanian government and the European Union are co-financing the largest ever funding program to support agritourism development over the past years. The most recent initiatives to support agritourism business investments add to this funding program. “We have adopted an encouraging support package, envisaging a five percent profit tax rate and only a six percent VAT rate on hotels on the country’s cost as well as in other regions under the funding program through the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency and the European Union’s program,” Prime Minister Edi Rama said in his remarks during the meeting.
Based on the Italy’s example, which strengthened the rural economy and the national economy through agritourism, we should follow the lead in Albania’s countryside and rural areas under the ‘100 villages’ project. “We have launched a campaign to promote agritourism investments, since we believe agritourism offers a tremendous still untapped potential and we are convinced it will spur economic growth in the country’s rural areas, but first examples need to be set in this field. Fortunately we have already several early examples like this one here, where a great job has been done,” PM Rama said.
Many immigrants have recently returned to Albania and plan to invest their savings in their homeland. So is the case of the renowned chef Fundim Gjepali, a member of the Master Chef Albania jury, who is turning his dream into reality. “While in Italy, I used to work in an agrotourism business and I always used to think of my family’s untapped properties. I always wondered when I would be able to develop these properties. I believe it’s the right time to do something, or make my dreams come true,” Gjepali said.
Prime Minister Edi Rama appealed to all immigrants who are seeking to invest their savings, inviting them to invest in agritourism businesses in their own homeland. “I would invite all those planning to come back home to invest in starting an agritourism business, and I assure them that within a year they will earn more than they have managed to earn and save over five years in emigration,” Prime Minister Rama said.
