On 12 May the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) organised a ministerial conference in Tirana on tourism development in the Western Balkans. The event gathered ministers in charge of tourism from the Western Balkans, representatives of the European Commission and other relevant stakeholders in the tourism sector. Under the title “Lifting Barriers for Sustainable Tourism Development” the event served as a discussion forum on the topics of importance to the region’s tourism.

The event was opened by RCC Secretary General, Majlinda Bregu; Minister of Tourism and Environment of Albania, Mirela Kumbaro; Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj; and Acting Head of the European Delegation to Albania, Alexis Hupin. Panellists on four thematic panels included Tatjana Matić, Serbia’s Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication; Kreshnik Bekteshi, North Macedonia’s Minister of Economy; Staša Košarac, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations; Rozeta Hajdari, Kosovo’s Minister of Trade and Industry; and Aleksandra Gardašević-Slavuljica, Director General  at Montenegro’s Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism.

A side event on “Mastering the current challenges in the tourism industry” is to take place on 13 May gathering Western Balkans tour operators, policy makers and national tourism organisations, who will discuss tourism industry challenges and the way forward in improving the region’s tourism offer.