A recent survey by SchengenVisaInfo revealed that 80.3 per cent of respondents, which translates into 2,450 people, have confirmed their travel plans to the EU in the upcoming year, as 2024 will be the first year that Kosovar nationals will be able to move without visas to the Schengen area.
Out of 3,050 respondents, around 500 people said they are not certain yet about their travel plans next year, representing 16.4 per cent of respondents, while the remaining 3.3 per cent claimed they have no travel plans.
The same survey reveals that the majority of respondents that want to travel in 2024, have planned more than two trips to the EU – around 51.8 per cent, while more than a quarter (29.4 per cent) have planned two trips. Another 18.8 per cent have one trip in mind.
However, Ruzhdi Kurtishaj, the founder of Sharr Travel, a leading travel agency in Kosovo, says that booking rates remain more or less the same, but more people are interested in different European destinations.
I cannot say that there is only interest in travel to European Union countries, as booking requests are diverse. There are requests for individual travel as well as group travel. We have several bookings from groups of 200 people – organisations or businesses that want to take their employees on three-day trips – with bookings being all related to tourism purposes.
He also says that countries that are geographically closer are among the most sought and interested in travelling during the summer season, especially to destinations like Greece and Bulgaria.
On the other hand, data show that Germany is the main destination of Kosovars for 2024, as 28.3 per cent of respondents claimed, followed by Italy (19 per cent), and Switzerland (14.6 per cent). These destinations can be related to some sports events that are scheduled for June.
The UEFA European Championship in Germany is going to be a significant event. The youth, both young men and women, have already started making arrangements, inquiring about hotels and places where the event will occur.
As per their travel plans, respondents will mainly travel with their family (32.7 per cent), some 25.3 per cent with their partners, around 23.3 per cent alone and 18.8 per cent with their friends.
