Quarterly Program Performance Report Q1 2019

The website will further enrich through 3-5 new articles per week. IntoAlbania is currently adopting an internal quality insurance system to ensure editorial and copy quality. In addition, IntoAlbania has implemented an advanced SEO functionality to drive growth and visibility over the web. Improvements will contribute to the ultimate development goal of rising www.intoalbania.com into a state of the art website experience. The project has finalised the IT developments for the e-commerce platform, which is ready for public launch during the next quarter. IntoAlbania plans to kick start booking services through the e-commerce platform with 15 hospitality providers by February 2019. The project has already built partnership opportunities with more than 200 businesses, expected to be part of the platform through new media opportunities. Rich, interesting content and user-interaction features are contributing to growing engagement from both international and local visitors. More than 500 original travel articles and photographs have been published during this quarter – on the website and on social media channels - promoting Albania's most attractive destinations. IntoAlbania has attracted a record of 22,209 new unique web users, and over 26,000 social media followers (Facebook and Instagram) - exceeding project targets. At the current growth rate, IntoAlbania is expected to become the largest digital tourism media outlet in Albania by the end of the next quarter. IntoAlbania has achieved a combined audience of 26,115 followers on social media platforms at the end of this quarter, representing a total of 13,530 new significant followers compared to November 2018. The engagement target for its social media pages has been exceeded, achieving 111,831 total engagements in the form of likes, reactions, shares, or comments. IntoAlbania has published more than 500 posts during this quarter, with an average of 200 new posts per month. 55 articles have been published on IntoAlbania.com, 260 new posts on Facebook, and 246 new posts on Instagram (excluding InstaStories). The IntoAlbania team has reached out to potential clients, guest houses, hotels, and other hospitality providers in order to build a partnership network with local businesses that focus on authentic experiences. 70-100 accommodation outlets are expected to be part of IntoAlbania, connecting and engaging with travellers from all around the world. The IntoAlbania team has started meeting with local traditional guest houses - newly renovated homes re-designed to deliver traditional experiences, and ‘character‘ hostels, that will potentially join IntoAlbania this quarter. IntoAlbania is now cooperating with CEED Albania, and the five guest houses supported by the partner project will be the first listed on the e-commerce platform; ensuring greater visibility and business development opportunities. IntoAlbania has developed an e-commerce section to provide authentic accommodation for tourists, with a proprietary solution that will launch in January, allowing instant booking and payments through IntoAlbania.com. Performance and safety tests were successfully finalised, and IntoAlbania is already accepting the first accommodation structures that will perform online business through the site.