Forbes magazine has rated Albania in the Top worlds cheapest 2017 destination.

Albania is the number 1 cheapest destination to travel globally for 2017. In a video showcased on the prestigious business magazine portal, Albania is rated as the most affordable destination where the dollar goes far, beating destinations from Vietnam to Vegas. Albania seems to be one of the best budget travel destinations for 2017 and this has been confirmed by some of the most influential media outlets. Forbes.com, which reaches 48 million monthly unique visitors, is among them. It published the list of the 30 cheapest places to travel in 2017. Forbes Contributor, Laura Begley Bloom interviewed 14 travel experts and drafted the list of the 30 best bargains around. Albania was chosen by Stephanie Parker from Big World Small Pockets. Albania is a little country in size but it has a huge tourism potential for travellers. "This forgotten corner of Europe is a wonderfully off-the-beaten-track budget destination in an otherwise very touristy and expensive continent. With fantastic beaches along its coastline, including the fishing port of Saranda, Albania gives visitors the chance to enjoy the Mediterranean waters for a fraction of the usual price," the articles says. Moreover, it highlights budget accommodation, which starts from as little as S5 per person and fishing trips or boat rides to the nearby islands are similarly well priced. "There's also some fascinating historical sites across Albania that are either free to enter or cost only S2-$5. From the mountainous medieval town of Gjirokastra to the Roman ruins at Butrint, this is a diverse and very different side of Europe, which is definitely worth visiting before the crowds do," the article concludes. "This forgotten corner of Europe is wonderfully off the beaten track, with accommodation as low as $ 5 per person," says Forbes. Featuring a picture of a waterfront in Saranda, the Forbes suggests southern Albania and the Albanian Riviera beaches for 2017 travelers. "This forgotten corner of Europe is a wonderfully off-the-beaten-track budget destination in an otherwise very touristy and expensive continent. With fantastic beaches along its coastline, including the fishing port of Saranda, Albania gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the Mediterranean waters for a fraction of the usual price, "says the magazine. "Accommodation starts from as little as $ 5 per person and fishing trips or boat rides to the nearby islands are similarly well priced. There are also some fascinating historical sites across Albania that are either free to enter or cost only $ 2- $ 5. From the mountainous medieval town of Gjirokastra to the Roman ruins at Butrint, this is a diverse and very different side of Europe, which is definitely worth visiting before the crowds do, "it adds. The rating comes as Albania is already in its peak tourism season, with hundreds of thousands of tourists packing the country's Adriatic and Ionian beaches, but also enjoying mountain and adventure destinations as well as cultural heritage sites. A recent report by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has also rated Albania's restaurants and hotels as Europe's cheapest. At 40 percent of the EU average, Albania's price levels on restaurants and hotels are the lowest among 37 European countries, including 28 EU members, three EFTA states and six EU aspirants. Earlier this year, U.S.-based Travel + Leisure magazine rated Albania as the top up-and-coming destination around the world, suggesting it as the number one destination to be considered for the next vacation. Albania was rated as one of the top seventeen global destinations to visit in 2017 by the prestigious CNN news portal amid other renowned destinations such as the U.S., Canada, France, Denmark, China and Australia. The tourism industry has been one of the country's fastest growing in the past few years, attracting more than 4 million tourists and generating about € 1.5 billion, about 8.4 percent of the country's GDP, in 2016 alone. News Source: Forbes.com and Tirana Times