Tourism makes a turnaround in autumn, foreigners increased by 9.9 percent in September

2025-10-24 14:03:00, Ekonomi CNA

Tourism makes a turnaround in autumn, foreigners increased by 9.9 percent in

Despite a lackluster summer, autumn, as expected, marked a turning point for tourism with a more noticeable increase in foreigners throughout September.

Official data on the movement of citizens published by the Institute of Statistics show 1.28 million foreign visitors in September, while 9-month arrivals mark 10.22 million for this group.

"During September 2025, 1,965,601 Albanian and foreign citizens entered the territory of the Republic of Albania. This indicator has increased by 9.5%, compared to September 2024. 2,127,386 Albanian and foreign citizens have left the territory of the Republic of Albania, marking an increase of 10.4%, compared to the same period a year ago.

In September 2025, the number of Albanian citizens who entered the Albanian territory is 705,917, experiencing an increase of 8.9%, compared to September 2024. The number of foreign citizens who entered the Albanian territory is 1,259,684. This number has increased by 9.9%, compared to the same period of 2024,” INSTAT reported.

According to INSTAT, in September 2025, 772,655 Albanian citizens are counted as having left the territory of Albania, marking an increase of 10.7%, compared to September 2024. The departures of foreign citizens from the territory of Albania during September 2025 are 1,354,731. Compared to the same period a year ago, this indicator has increased by 10.2%.

Tourism this year amidst fluctuations

This year, although at its beginning there were high expectations for performance, expressed by the government and tour operators, they faded after the concrete figures recorded in the first months of the year.

Growth was slower than in the previous months, while summer showed even stronger fluctuations. According to tour operators, summer was weaker than a year ago and the reasons were many. First, prices again showed an upward trend in some regions, driving away vacationers who seek Albania for its economic side.

This was clearly seen in the decline of Italians but also a lower number of Albanians and Kosovars. The latter, after the visa liberalization last year, have preferred to test new markets, with Greece being one of the most typical ones, but there has also been travel to other EU countries, in some cases with transit through Albania.

Another problem was the poor infrastructure and lack of water in coastal areas, which forced business associations and tour operators to raise their voices several times, pointing out that this would damage the overall image of the country.

The general expectation is that autumn will recover the missing figures of summer and that overall 2025 will mark a similar increase to last year, but according to tour operators, this should be a year of reflection to take measures so that Albania does not lose its tourist attention.

This requires not only a more active government approach but also awareness for business to be more consistent in pricing that justifies the service.

The latter is more related to some specific regions that went viral on the internet this year for their "salty" prices and that create the wrong idea about the coast as a whole. The government launched a campaign for sun loungers this year, trying to allow more public spaces, while Prime Minister Rama has declared that next summer public beaches will be dominant, while municipalities will receive more powers for management./ Monitor