Affiliate Disclosure
Stay Albanian Riviera is funded by affiliate commissions. Here's exactly how that works and how we keep it honest — disclosed in plain language, prominently, and at the point of recommendation, as required by the EU Omnibus Directive (2019/2161) and Article 26 of the Digital Services Act.
What an affiliate link is
When you click a link on this site to a partner — Booking.com, Viator, Localrent, Airalo, SafetyWing, Wise, Heymondo, or any Travelpayouts partner (Localrent, KiwiTaxi, Tiqets, WayAway, GetTransfer) — a cookie is set in your browser. If you then book or buy something within that partner's cookie window, the partner pays us a small commission. You pay exactly the same price you would by going to the partner directly.
Explicit category disclosures. So there is no ambiguity about how this site is funded:
- Hotels and accommodation: we earn a commission when you book any hotel or guesthouse on Booking.com through the links on this site.
- Tours, day trips and attraction tickets: we earn a commission when you book a tour or activity through Viator or Tiqets links on this site. Viator is our primary tours partner — every tour and day-trip CTA on this site routes to Viator.
- Car rental: we earn a commission when you rent a car through the Localrent links on this site (every Rent a car, Compare rental prices or Car rental button on this site goes to Localrent via Travelpayouts).
- Airport transfers and taxis: we earn a commission on transfers booked through KiwiTaxi and GetTransfer links.
- Travel insurance, eSIMs, money transfer: we earn a commission on purchases made through SafetyWing, Heymondo, Airalo and Wise links.
How we choose partners
- We only link to companies we'd genuinely recommend to a friend planning the same trip.
- We do not accept payment in exchange for editorial placement, ranking or coverage.
- Commission rate is never the reason we pick one partner over another — Booking.com pays less than smaller booking platforms but converts better for hotels in this region, so we link to it anyway.
- If a hotel, tour or rental company contacts us asking to be featured, we decline unless they meet our editorial standards independently.
Our current primary partners
These are the partners actively earning commission for the site today. They represent the bulk of our revenue and are the only partners whose tracking is loaded when you opt in to affiliate cookies.
| Partner | Category | What we recommend it for | Cookie window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com (via Travelpayouts) | Hotels | Hotels across the Albanian Riviera | Session |
| Localrent (via Travelpayouts) | Car rental | Local car rental from Albanian operators — our only active car rental affiliate. Every car rental link on the site goes to Localrent. | Lifetime |
| Viator | Tours & tickets | Our only active tours partner. Saranda boat tours, Ksamil Five Islands speedboat, Butrint guided tours, Blue Eye day trips, Lekuresi Castle combos, and all day-trip CTAs on the site. | 30 days |
| KiwiTaxi (via Travelpayouts) | Transfers | Pre-booked airport transfers (Tirana → Saranda) | Lifetime |
| GetTransfer (via Travelpayouts) | Transfers | Door-to-door transfer quotes across the Riviera and Corfu ferry | Lifetime |
| Tiqets (via Travelpayouts) | Tickets | Butrint National Park tickets | Per partner |
| WayAway (via Travelpayouts) | Flights | Flight search with cashback for Albania routes | Per partner |
| Airalo | eSIM / data | Albania / Balkans eSIM data | Per Impact tracking |
| SafetyWing | Insurance | Travel insurance, especially for digital nomads | Recurring |
| Heymondo | Insurance | Travel insurance, European travellers | 30 days |
| Wise | Money transfer | Multi-currency travel card | Lifetime |
Reserved partners (not currently active)
These partners are listed for transparency because their privacy policies still appear in our data-recipient documentation, but no live affiliate links on this site currently route to them. They may be re-enabled in the future if our editorial assessment changes.
| Partner | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Discover Cars | Car rental comparison | Reserved — superseded by Localrent (which performs better with local Albanian operators). No active links on the site. |
How affiliate links are marked
Every affiliate link on this site:
- Carries
rel="sponsored noopener"per Google's link-attribution guidance and Article 26 DSA - Opens in a new tab so you don't lose your place
- Sits inside a clearly labelled Book on … or Compare on … button — never a covert mid-paragraph link
- Is placed alongside an explanatory line stating that the link is an affiliate link
- Is preceded by the in-content disclosure block at the top of any page that earns commission, plus the persistent footer disclosure on every page of the site
This satisfies the Omnibus Directive's Art. 7(4a) requirement that paid placements be identified at the moment of recommendation, not just in a buried legal page.
What if I don't want to use your links?
That's absolutely fine — every recommendation on this site can be booked by going directly to the partner. The links are a convenience for readers who want to support the site. We'll never lock content behind affiliate clicks.
Compliance
We comply with:
- EU Omnibus Directive (2019/2161) — paid placements identified at the moment of recommendation; pricing transparency; ranking criteria disclosed.
- EU Digital Services Act (Regulation 2022/2065), Article 26 — commercial communications labelled clearly, concisely, unambiguously and in real time.
- EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC) as updated — no hidden material commercial intent, no misleading omissions.
- UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act) — the UK successor to the same EU rules, in force from April 2025.
- US FTC Endorsement Guides — "clear and conspicuous" disclosure of material connection.
- Albanian Consumer Protection Law no. 9902/2008 — transparent commercial practices for travel content.
Every page on this site carries a footer disclosure, and high-affiliate-density pages (hotel and tour guides) carry an additional in-content disclosure box above the first affiliate link.
How rankings work
When we list partners or hotels ("top 5 hotels in Ksamil", etc.), the order is determined by editorial judgement based on the criteria in How we choose partners above — not by commission rate. Where two options are roughly equivalent and one pays a higher commission, we'll typically place both but note the trade-off in plain English. We don't accept payment for placement or ranking. This complies with the Omnibus Directive's Article 7(4)(aa) requirement to disclose main ranking parameters.
Questions or complaints
If you think we've failed to disclose a commercial connection on any specific page, please email contact@stayalbanianriviera.com. We'll investigate within 48 hours and either fix the issue or explain why we believe disclosure was adequate. You also have the right to raise concerns with your national consumer protection authority — a full EU list is at the European Commission ODR platform.