TIRANA, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Albania has decided to lift visa regime for citizens of eight countries, the Albanian foreign ministry said Tuesday in a statement.

According to it, based on the decision taken by the Council of Ministers on Feb. 27, the citizens of China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Qatar, Oman, Thailand and Bahrain can enter Albania by using only their passport.

The free-visa regime for these countries will only apply for the period of tourist season.

"The decision allowing citizens of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Qatar, Oman, Thailand and Bahrain to enter Albania without needing a visa will be in force from April 1 to Oct. 31 in 2019, whereas for the citizens of the People's Republic of China is valid from March 1 to Oct. 31 of this year," said the statement.

On Feb. 27, Albania's Ministry of Tourism and the Environment launched a campaign -- Tourism 2019 "Be taken by Albania" -- in a bid to boost the country's tourism and economic development.

The Albanian National Statistics Institute reported that nearly 6 million foreign nationals visited Albania in 2018, registering an increase of 15.8 percent year on year.