Tourism record, 7.2 million foreigners visited Albania in January-August 2023

2023-09-26 09:29:00, Aktualitet CNA

Tourism record, 7.2 million foreigners visited Albania in January-August 2023

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Albania is experiencing its best tourist year in post-transition history. From north to south, on the beaches, in the mountains, in the historical cities, in bars and restaurants, everywhere, you meet tourists from different nations.

INSTAT data show that the arrivals of foreign citizens for the first 8 months of this year reached almost 7.2 million people (7,190,410), with an increase of 26.9% compared to the same period of the previous year.

Only in August, which is the peak of the tourist season, about 2 million foreign citizens entered the country, or 18.3% more than August of the previous year.

Since June, more than 1 million foreign nationals have entered the country, reaching 1.77 million in July and crossing the threshold of 2 million for the first time in August.

According to INSTAT, in August 2023, the region with the highest number of foreign nationals entering Albania is the European region with 1,951,489 citizens, followed by America and East Asia/Pacific, respectively with 40,106 and 12,335 citizens.

In August 2023, compared to August 2022, the entries of foreign citizens have increased:
- for personal purposes by 18.2%;
- for vacation purposes, visiting relatives, etc. with 22.5%;
- for business and professional purposes with 34%.

Other data from the Ministry of Tourism show that citizens from Kosovo continue to account for the majority of arrivals in Albania, with around a third. This year, for the first time, the Italians came second with about 10%, followed by the other countries of the region, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

Albanians also leave
Not only the arrivals of foreigners have reached records. Even the exits of Albanian citizens have increased significantly.
INSTAT reported that the exits of Albanian citizens from the territory of Albania, during the month of August 2023, are 842,940.

Compared to August 2022, this indicator has increased by 8.9%. The number of Albanian citizens who left the territory of Albania during the eight months of 2023 is 4,577,753, increasing by 18.9%, compared to the same period a year ago. /Monitor.al