TIRANA, ALBANIA     To promote the growth of the tourism business sector, USAID partner Creative Business Solutions (CBS) went live during the first week of September with IntoAlbania.com - a digital tourist platform that seeks to connect worldwide travelers with authentic Albanian destinations and experiences.

Launching as a web platform, a mobile application and a social media presence, IntoAlbania.com aims to transform the tourist experience by providing users digital access to the wide variety of physical, cultural, and culinary activities available in Albania. Additionally, these platforms will share stories featuring striking visuals that detail the history and significance of locations throughout the country. Watch a video from the website here.
 
CBS will build upon the positive user feedback about the IntoAlbania.com site by adding additional functions to the platform in the coming months. This will include pages that will allow smaller local hospitality providers to showcase the authentic services they provide tourists and e-commerce functions that will allow the direct booking of accommodations and activities, benefiting locals previously unable to participate in the international tourism market.

IntoAlbania nominated as Best National Digital Innovation at World Summit Awards

In October 2018, IntoAlbania.com was nominated for a World Summit Award (WSA) as Albania’s best digital innovation in the category of Tourism and Culture. 

Now in its fifteenth year, the WSAs are a unique awards system that involves over 180 countries and are considered a quality seal for digital content. By selecting and promoting local digital innovations that have a high impact on improving society, the WSAs also contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. For CBS, being considered for the WSA is a both a unique opportunity to reach a global audience and also calls attention to IntoAlbania’s mission to boost economic growth in tourism by connecting travelers with Albania’s culture, heritage and nature.

International experts in entrepreneurship, innovation and information technology will evaluate WSA nominees in Accra, Ghana, November 4-7, with winners to be announced in December 2018.

About IntoAlbania

The IntoAlbania project’s mission is to boost economic growth in tourism by connecting the traveler with the country’s best culture, heritage and nature. It combines the tourism concepts of digitization and authenticity in a unique single intervention.  At the center of intervention is the development of an advanced digital platform, combined with a smartphone application, which promises to become the largest digital platform for international tourists and local visitors. In addition the project will intervene selectively to modernize the soft infrastructure of nationally recognized museums and implement a character hospitality model for hotels to follow.

In achieving these goals, the project will be supported by important and strategic partnerships. The project is designed through a comprehensive three-way National-Local-Rural strategic approach for which CBS will partner with the Ministry of Culture on national level, the Municipality of Tirana on local level, and with an existing rural network.