Prishtina, 25 September 2026
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti attended the opening of the Central Conference marking World Tourism Day, under the theme “RE: TOURISM – Artificial Intelligence in Promoting Tourism in Kosovo,” organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kurti said that, as a young state with a young population and an ancient people, a rich cultural and historical heritage, and extraordinary natural resources, Kosovo presents itself to the world as a safe and welcoming destination, committed to building a modern, attractive and competitive tourism sector.
Although the data clearly show that tourism in Kosovo is a promising sector, he emphasized that over the past four years, tourism in the country has recorded continuous growth, with the number of visitors increasing by an average of around 20% year on year.
“Through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we will promote Kosovo more strongly in international markets, opening up new opportunities and seeking to attract as many visitors as possible from around the world,” he said, adding that, as the Government of Kosovo, we decided to give tourism particular importance when we drafted the Kosovo Tourism Strategy 2030. “Now we are moving forward, step by step, and our strategic goal is to develop tourism in every corner of our country.”
Emphasizing that through the development of tourism we aim to create more employment opportunities, particularly for women and young people, Prime Minister Kurti said that our wealth lies not only in nature, from the high peaks of the Accursed Mountains to the mountain beauty of the Sharr Mountains. What truly makes us unique are our people, our cultural heritage, castles, monuments, traditions and, above all, our warm hospitality — values that present Kosovo to the world.
On the occasion of World Tourism Day, the Prime Minister thanked everyone who is building this sector every day, while also calling on all institutions, municipalities, businesses, communities, the diaspora and our partners to work together to advance it.
Full speech by Prime Minister Kurti:
Honourable Ms Saranda Bogujevci, Minister of Culture and Tourism,
Honourable Ms Chiara Castaldo, Deputy Ambassador of Italy,
Honourable Ms Sara Lindblom, Second Secretary at the Embassy of Sweden,
Honourable Deputy Ministers of the Government — I see here Muhedin Nushi from the Ministry of Education and Science, Jeton Mehmeti from the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade and Innovation, Sejnur Veshall from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and Tijana Velkoviq from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism,
Also, honourable representatives of the embassies accredited in our country, from Hungary, Bulgaria and Montenegro,
Honourable representatives of civil society organizations, as well as of the private sector,
Dear attendees,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Republic of Kosovo is making its mark on the international tourism map, and we are committed to sustainable development in line with the standards and priorities of the World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism.
As a young state with a young population and an ancient people, a rich cultural and historical heritage, and extraordinary natural resources, Kosovo presents itself to the world as a safe and welcoming destination, committed to building a modern, attractive and competitive tourism sector.
The data clearly show that tourism in Kosovo is a promising sector. Over the past four years, tourism in our country has recorded continuous growth; the number of visitors increased by an average of around 20% year on year. This positive trend has resulted in the number of visitors doubling over the past five years compared with the pre-pandemic period, that is, up to 2019.
This influx has stimulated demand for accommodation and food services, creating employment opportunities for many individuals and families. According to data from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, around 30,000 people are employed in the accommodation and food service sectors, accounting for around 7% of the workforce in our country.
This measurable success did not come about by itself; it is the result of the joint efforts of state institutions, the commitment of tourism operators, and the great potential that Kosovo offers.
Through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we will promote Kosovo more strongly in international markets, opening up new opportunities and seeking to attract as many visitors as possible from around the world.
As the Government of Kosovo, we decided to give tourism particular importance when we drafted the Kosovo Tourism Strategy 2030. Now we are moving forward, step by step, and our strategic goal is to develop tourism in every corner of our country.
Through the development of tourism, we aim to create more employment opportunities, particularly for women and young people.
Our wealth lies not only in nature, from the high peaks of the Accursed Mountains to the mountain beauty of the Sharr Mountains. What truly makes us unique are our people, our cultural heritage, castles, monuments, traditions and, above all, our warm hospitality — values that present Kosovo to the world.
And, of course, this picture would not be complete without our strong diaspora, our ambassadors around the world, who not only bring friends and visitors to their homeland, but are also increasingly contributing through investments and new ideas in Kosovo’s tourism sector.
At the same time, the way people travel, seek information and choose destinations is changing. The way we develop and promote our tourism must, undoubtedly, keep pace with the times.
Within the framework of UN Tourism’s global theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” the “RE: TOURISM” concept is also being launched, which means looking at, rethinking and redesigning the way we develop and promote tourism in Kosovo, by connecting our tourism potential with the opportunities offered by digitalization and artificial intelligence.
On this World Tourism Day, I would like to thank everyone who is building this sector every day, and I would also like to call on everyone — institutions, municipalities, businesses, communities, the diaspora and our partners — to do this work together.
Within Kosovo, it is important to connect tourism with sports and mountaineering, as well as with education and the education system in general, so that we can create a culture of visiting nature and, in this way, get to know ourselves better, so that more and more others can learn about us. Perhaps the day will soon come, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, when we will no longer have 18-year-olds in the Republic of Kosovo who have never been to Gjeravica, Liqenat, Luboten or Rugova.
I wish you productive work and fruitful discussions at this conference!
Happy World Tourism Day, and thank you for participating!
