News/Our experience with ISRAIR in 2021

Posted on 17 July 2021

Our Experience with ISRAIR in 2021

Ever since Albania became a green list country and was considered a no-risk destination, there have been discussions on the arrival of foreign tourists. 

 

In May, we had some great news about the restart of tourism in Albania. The first flight from Israir Airlines arrived at Tirana International Airport on May 13th. Israir is a well-known Israeli airline with an international reputation and is growing fastly in the Israeli market. 

ETG and ISRAIR

Elite Travel Group and Israir established an agreement in 2018 to provide direct flights from Israel to Albania. Just like the rest of the world, the pandemic stopped these flights. However, Israel outpaced the rest of the world with its vaccination roll-out.

Vaccinated citizens received green passes to facilitate traveling. That is why tourists from Israel were some of the first that we were expecting. Tourists arriving with Israir flights to Albania were exclusively accommodated in 4-stars and 5-stars hotels in Tirana and Golem region in Durres.

 

During July, the charters were arriving 3 times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday with a full capacity of 160 seats for each flight. 

What do they like the most about Albania?

Ohrid excursion israel tourists

Tourists from Israel have a wide range of preferred activities in Albania. Most of them are on leisure trips in hotels in Tirana and fewer in Durres beach hotels. They are satisfied with the activities and consider Albania as a well-balanced value for money destination. Mostly, they are interested in cultural trips, adventure, and outdoor activities. Their most preferred programs are Off-Road Tours with 4×4 cars throughout Albania and other Balkan countries. This is because, in their country, the military is mandatory and lasts three years. Consequently, they got the skills to adapt to mountains, wildlife, and be great drivers in off-road tours.

 

Another reason why they love Albania is because of our water resources. In Israel, they lack these kinds of resources, and they use filters to transform salty water into normal water suitable for drinking and normal daily usage. Tourists from Israel also like Albania because of the past relations from WWII. Albanians have welcomed and supported them during those hard times.

Albanian tourism and the future

The arrival of Israeli tourists is a green light and a sign that tourism in Albania will soon start to breathe and hopefully return to the previous levels before the pandemic.

 

We are working hard and hope that Albania will become a year-round destination for Israeli guests. Tackling seasonality is Elite Travel Group’s and Israir’s common mission and vision for the hospitality industry after the Covid-19 pandemic.

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