albania tourism numbers

Tourism in Albania

Development of the tourism sector in albania from 1995 to 2021.

Revenues from tourism

All data for Albania in detail

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Albania Tourism Statistics

International tourism: expenditures: % of total imports, view albania's international tourism: expenditures: % of total imports from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Expenditures: for Passenger Transport Items

View albania's international tourism: expenditures: for passenger transport items from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Expenditures: for Travel Items

View albania's international tourism: expenditures: for travel items from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Number of Arrivals

View albania's international tourism: number of arrivals from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Receipts

View albania's international tourism: receipts from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Receipts: % of Total Exports

View albania's international tourism: receipts: % of total exports from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Receipts: for Passenger Transport Items

View albania's international tourism: receipts: for passenger transport items from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items

View albania's international tourism: receipts: for travel items from 1995 to 2020 in the chart:.

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3.4 million foreigners visited Albania during the first six months of 2023

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Albania’s tourism sector is currently experiencing its most successful year to date in 2023. The latest data released by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) reveal a remarkable 33% increase in foreign nationals visiting the country during the first six months, totaling around 3.4 million visitors.

June alone saw over 1 million foreign tourists, marking a significant 15% surge compared to the same period in the previous year. These record-breaking figures apply both to the entire six-month period and the month of June.

INSTAT reported that “in June 2023, a total of 1,581,731 Albanian and foreign nationals arrived in Albania, showing a 16.3% increase compared to June 2022. Departures of Albanian and foreign nationals from Albania during June 2023 reached 1,490,810, indicating an 18.0% rise from the same period last year.

Throughout June 2023, 574,698 Albanian nationals entered the country, reflecting an 18.9% increase from June 2022. The number of foreign nationals visiting Albania during this month was 1,007,033, representing a 15.0% growth compared to June 2022.

For the entire first half of 2023, the total number of foreign nationals arriving in Albania reached 3,396,932, showcasing a 33.0% increase compared to the same period in 2022,” as stated by INSTAT.

Tourism operators are delighted, asserting that this year stands as Albania’s finest in terms of tourist influx, surpassing the previous year’s record-breaking visitor numbers. The majority of tourists hail from Europe, attracted not only by Albania’s promotional efforts but also by the country’s affordability.

Organized tourism, particularly in Durrës, is predominantly driven by Polish, Czech, and Nordic tourists. Additionally, Spain has emerged as a new player in the organized tourism sector for the region. Meanwhile, the coastal areas have experienced a growing interest from Italian, Spanish, and English tourists.

According to INSTAT, in June 2023, Europe recorded the highest number of foreign nationals entering Albania, totaling 954,389 visitors. Following Europe, America, East Asia, and the Pacific regions recorded 30,082 and 8,971 visitors, respectively.

Comparing June 2023 to June 2022, foreign arrivals increased by:

• 14.6% for personal reasons
• 12.8% for vacation, visiting relatives, etc.
• 59.0% for business and professional purposes

Regarding departures:

• 576,383 Albanian nationals left Albania in June 2023, marking a 15.5% increase from June 2022.
• 914,427 foreign nationals left the country in June 2023, showcasing a 19.7% increase from June 2022.

During the first half of 2023, a total of 3,024,102 Albanian nationals departed Albania, reflecting a notable 20.0% increase from the same period in the previous year, according to INSTAT.

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Foreign visitors to Albania more than double y/y in 2021

Jan 25, 2022 13:47 EEST

January 25 (SeeNews) - The total number of foreign nationals who visited Albania jumped 114% year-on-year in 2021, reaching 5.7 million, the country's statistical office, INSTAT, said on Tuesday.

In December alone, Albania was visited by 267,409 foreign nationals, up 47.9% year-on-year, INSTAT said in a statement.

In 2021, the number of domestic tourists rose by an annual 42.2% to 3.9 million. Overall, the total number of domestic and foreign tourists soared 77.4% year-on-year to 9.6 million in the year under review.

The largest number of international visitors in 2021 came from Kosovo - 2.6 million, North Macedonia - 560,213, Italy - 354,370, Montenegro - 319,770 and Greece - 276,915.

In 2020, the number of foreign visitors to Albania decreased by 58.5% year-on-year to 2.66 million.

Albania confirmed its first two coronavirus cases in early March 2020. Later that month, the country closed its land borders and suspended all commercial flights in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.

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• Tourism and Hospitality in Albania 2022 An assessment of tourism trends and performance pdf (4.2 MB)

Tourism and Hospitality in Albania 2022

Tourism and Hospitality in Albania 2022 An assessment of tourism trends and performance

December 20, 2022

In the second half of 2022, UNDP in cooperation with the Albanian Tourism Association conducted a study to assess the impact of the war in Ukraine on the tourism sector. The main goal was to collect and analyze data on hospitality and tourism focusing on the main actors from the supply and demand side.

In addition to data from official sources, the study included surveys and focus groups with the hospitality and tourism sector as well as a representative survey with the urban population. Innovative techniques were also used to extract data from online booking platforms. The report summarizes a series of findings and perceptions, conclusions and recommendations that offer a comprehensive picture of tourism in Albania in 2022.

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Tourism 2.0 in Albania: A new opportunity for resilient growth

Raha shahidsaless, fernando blanco, stefka slavova, laureta qorlazja.

In a striking example, Albania has shown how the tourism sector can drive economic development. Following the country’s turbulent economic and political transition in the 1990s, tourism was perched on the sidelines of the Albanian economy. International travel, hospitality and related services essentially catered to returning members of the country’s large diaspora. However, in the 2000s, several major European tourism operators started recognizing Albania’s potential to join the Mediterranean’s thriving, though often overcrowded, sun-and-sand destinations. A surge of investments followed, and, between 2000 and 2019 the number of hotels, rooms, and beds increased more than tenfold.

Over the past two decades, the contribution of Albania’s tourism and travel sector to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has steadily increased and reached more than 8%, creating jobs and generating 38% of total exports. Looking back, 2019 was Albania’s best year for tourism, with 6.4 million foreign visitors and $2.3 billion in sectoral earnings. The future looked promising.

Unfortunately, when COVID-19 swept across the world, the number of international arrivals plunged by 60% and the sector’s earnings fell to $1.1 billion with the accommodations subsector shrinking by 75% in the second quarter of 2020. While 10% of Albanian businesses reported shutting down, another 60% earned less than 10% of their 2019 revenue, and more than half the employees in the sector were laid off.

Luckily, as travel restrictions eased and economies launched recovery efforts, the tourism sector bounced back with the arrival of 5.7 million foreign visitors and tourism earnings achieving pre-pandemic levels during the summer of 2021. While the sector was just finding its feet, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dealt a second blow. The good news is that, despite the war, the summer of 2022 has been even better—as of October, the country received 6.8 million visitors, with projected earnings of more than $3.3 billion.

While the recovery was swift and remarkable, COVID-19 exposed the tourism sector’s vulnerability to external shocks, highlighting the need for a more diversified, resilient, and sustainable tourism sector.

Now, as hotels, restaurants, and operators recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, they face three major hurdles:

Staffing : While the pandemic’s impact on the number of visitors and earnings has been fully reversed, it has exacerbated the situation regarding the shortage of qualified personnel. Kliton Gerxhani, Chairman of the Albanian Tourism Operators Association (ATOA) and co-owner of Albania Holidays DMC, emphasizes, “With no proper tourism schools, we invested a lot in training our staff on the job over the last five to 10 years. Yet, we were forced to let them go—first the younger staff and then the more experienced ones.”

In 2022, skills shortage continued to take a toll on the industry. While the sector tried to bring back staff following the recovery of tourism in Europe, many had already found jobs in other sectors or moved abroad, leading to reduced service capacity. In response, the provision of training courses for the accommodation sector and also for maritime activities could address the issue of skills shortage through training programs that award recognized international certifications.

The War in Ukraine : While the war has not impacted the total number of visitors to the country, it has triggered logistical and supply issues for the industry. Supply chain disruptions and surging food and oil prices have increased costs, eating into the sector’s revenue share in 2022. COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have also altered tourist behavior with a higher rate of booking cancellations, impacting planning and logistics of supplies and management of reservations, and underlining the need for digitalization.

Opportunities and Branding : Albania is known as a beach destination for tourists who usually prefer shorter stays with low levels of individual spending—a profile associated with an undiversified tourism value chain with a limited range of attractions and activities.

Unfortunately, Albania’s “blue tourism” subsector, including boating, diving, recreational fishing and aquatic sports, remains largely undeveloped. Additionally, despite Albania’s unique cultural heritage, cultural tourism represents a small fraction of the industry.

Mapping the future

Prepared by IFC and the World Bank, the Albania Country Private Sector Diagnostic ( CPSD ), released in June 2022, highlights massive investment opportunities for the private sector. It also underlines the need for a strong policy roadmap that can set the course for a higher-value-added, more diversified and sustainable tourism sector.

With the pandemic bringing about a shift in tourist preferences—from mass tourism to small group outdoors-based tourism—this could be a good opportunity for Albania. The country can reposition its tourism sector to cater to new markets and rebrand as a destination for niche and high-end tourism. 

Further, linking blue tourism in coastal areas to nature-, food-, and culture-oriented tourism in the country’s mountain forests and well-preserved villages could raise average spending, extend the average length of stay, reduce seasonality and ease the pressure on overcrowded tourism hotspots. Implementing the government’s Blue Tourism Strategy could increase international arrivals by 208,000 a year, boosting tourism revenue by over $400 million annually.

However, shifting to a more diverse and sustainable tourism model will require major investments, for example, in marinas and nature-based activities. Albania will need to address critical infrastructure bottlenecks while increasing air connectivity and expanding road networks to develop inland tourism and promote tourist circulation.

Albania will also need investments in water and waste management along with regulations and environmental safeguards to ensure destinations are sustainable. The growth of ecological and cultural tourism will require specialized accommodations and supportive infrastructure for the country’s national parks, inland villages and cultural heritage sites. Additionally, it will be key to develop a skilled workforce, support firms with innovation and technology transfer and improve access to finance for tourism operators.

With strong government support, timely investments in infrastructure and effective policy and regulatory measures, the private sector can contribute to a robust tourism industry, turning Albania into a top tourist destination while preserving its underlying natural and cultural assets.

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Senior Private Specialist

Principal Economist for Europe and Central Asia of the IFC

Lead Economist

IFC Country Officer, Tirana, Albania

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Albania Tourist Arrivals

Tourist arrivals in albania decreased to 1861040 in the fourth quarter of 2023 from 4897668 in the third quarter of 2023. tourist arrivals in albania averaged 831802.70 from 2001 until 2023, reaching an all time high of 4897668.00 in the third quarter of 2023 and a record low of 62116.00 in the second quarter of 2001. source: instituti i statistikave (instat),   markets,   gdp,   labour,   prices,   money,   trade,   government,   business,   consumer,   housing,   taxes,   climate.

Longer Trips in Cheaper Destinations — And Why Albania Is Getting So Popular

Elizabeth Casolo , Skift

May 14th, 2024 at 9:00 AM EDT

Travelers are still booking flights despite inflation. Where some of those flights are headed may be different, though.

Elizabeth Casolo

Italy and Greece may come to mind when planning a summer holiday in Europe . But travelers are gravitating toward other destinations that offer similar amenities at lower prices. A 2024 travel trends report from Mastercard showed increased air traffic and longer stays in some cheaper destinations.

“People are trying to be very thoughtful about how they can continue to enjoy travel and enjoy these experiences within their budget,” said Mastercard Chief Economist Michelle Meyer.

Albania is one standout budget-friendly destination. The country has had a 141% increase in daily flight traffic since 2019. For this summer, the Albanian capital of Tirana — which is close to some beach hotels — is witnessing an increase in its share of flight bookings from pre-pandemic levels. The report calls it one of this year’s trending summer destinations.

“There has been more of potentially a focus on tourism in terms of increasing the number of flights that are moving in, trying to facilitate more tourism, which is, of course, an effort to support greater economic growth,” said Meyer on Albania’s popularity.

An extra day for a traveler’s stay

Another change: Travelers are staying about one day longer on trips than they did in 2019. This trend is most prominent in destinations that have not experienced a steep increase in hotel prices.

For example, in markets with the smallest price change, travelers added 2.1 days. In markets with the biggest increase, travelers added less than one day.

The Middle East and Africa, followed by Europe, are the regions with the greatest trip extensions from 2019.

Meyer thinks the post-pandemic spike in “bleisure” travel — fusing business and leisure — may be contributing to this boost in longer stays. The hybrid work model that evolved from the pandemic leads to more flexibility.

“To travel for work, you can add on a leisure trip. If you travel for leisure, you can add in one day working from anywhere or be able to integrate your work into your leisure activity,” Meyer said.

What else to know

• A record-breaking total of around 15.9 million Americans traveled abroad in the first quarter of 2024.
• Japan had the highest increase in share of tourist spending from last year. The U.S. and Canadian currencies’ strength against the Japanese yen led Japan to becoming a trending destination.
• The surge in events-based travel, like with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour , remains. Munich — a host of the upcoming UEFA European Championship — tops the list of Mastercard’s most in-demand summer destinations, with Tokyo and Tirana close behind.
• The share of passenger arrivals by sea has gone up in the Bahamas since late 1999. Originally at roughly 60%, that percentage was over 80% for Bahamas arrivals in February. Cruise transactions overall are up from 2019.
• Egypt’s currency devaluation and tourism investment could eventually position it to be a major player for those looking to travel to the Middle East and North Africa in coming years, Meyer said. Egypt’s 2027 eclipse will be another event to look out for.

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Tags: albania , bahamas , coronavirus recovery , cruise , euro 2024 , europe , germany , japan , Mastercard , middle east , munich , north africa , tokyo , Travel Trends , uefa

Photo credit: Street in Durrës, Albania. Árpád Czapp / Unsplash