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Albania, the fastest growing market on the Southeast European tourist map for daily rentals

2026-06-20 07:41:00, Ekonomi CNA

Albania, the fastest growing market on the Southeast European tourist map for

In the Balkans, few tourism markets are expanding at the pace of Albania. According to AirDNA data for the 12 months ending March 2026, the country's short-term accommodation supply grew by 19.3%, the highest rate among comparable countries in the region.

On average, Albania had nearly 27,000 listings available each month, trailing only Romania in terms of market size. Romania continues to hold the position of the largest market in the region with 32,828 average monthly listings, followed by Montenegro with 21,143 listings and Bulgaria with 18,167. However, while Romania operates on a larger base, Albania is increasing capacity at a significantly faster rate.

The difference becomes even more apparent when comparing growth rates. Accommodation supply in Albania expanded by 19.3% year-on-year, compared to 9.9% in Montenegro, 9.2% in Romania, 8.9% in Serbia, 7.7% in Slovenia and 5.7% in Bulgaria. This puts Albania at the top of the region in terms of market expansion rate.

The increase in supply has also been accompanied by an expansion in demand. The number of overnight stays increased to 2.36 million during the period, from around 2 million a year earlier. Revenues reached around 133.7 million euros in the 12-month period ended March 2026.

However, another element that stands out from the figures is the fact that the pace of supply expansion has exceeded that of demand. This translated into a slight decline in the average occupancy rate (bookings) to 53.9%, from 54.5% a year earlier.

Tourism in the country remains deeply seasonal despite attempts to make it year-round. Demand peaks during the summer months, while the rest of the year relies on significantly lower levels of activity, making capacity management as much of a challenge as expanding it.

The profile of visitors is also becoming more international as the groups that are increasingly present in the country grow and the agreements they are entering into with tour operators become more diverse, from guaranteed contracts to allotments and even individual tourists.

France is the largest source market for Airbnb stays, followed by Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom.

At the moment, Albania is not the largest short-term accommodation market in the Balkans, but it is expanding faster than any other country in the region, strengthening its position on the tourist map of Southeast Europe./ Monitor