TIRANA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Unlike previous years, during first half of this year, Albania saw a sharp increase in the number of the construction permits issued by the authorities here for the building of new hotels, national statistical office said Thursday in a report.
Data showed that the construction permits issued for hotels in H1 amounted for nearly the total of the last three years taken together.
In the second quarter of this year, 12 construction permits were granted in the category of hotels while in Q1, authorities gave 5 construction permits.
Meanwhile, the total number of permits for hotels issued in 2016, 2015 and 2014 was only 18.
Tourism operators here say that the demand is quite higher than the supply, causing a negative situation at a time when tourism seems to be in a "boom" period as more and more tourist are coming to Albania.
Moreover, the reduction of VAT on tourism for accommodating facilities from 20 percent to 6 percent has been another impetus for the sector. Enditem
