Tourism "booms" in the fall, in October foreign arrivals increased by 19.3%

2025-11-25 13:33:00, Ekonomi CNA

Tourism "booms" in the fall, in October foreign arrivals increased by

After a lackluster summer, it seems that tourism is "blooming" in the fall, as had been warned by tour operators.

October has restored double-digit growth in foreign arrivals, with over 908,000 arrivals, a 19.3 percent increase compared to October of the previous year.

Official data on the Movement of Citizens published by the Institute of Statistics show that a total of 11.1 million foreigners entered from January to October.

"In October 2025, the number of Albanian citizens who entered Albanian territory is 668,623, experiencing an increase of 7.7%, compared to October 2024.

"The number of foreign citizens who have entered Albanian territory is 908,642. This number has increased by 19.3%, compared to the same period in 2024," the publication states.

In October 2025, 95% of foreign national arrivals in Albania are from the European region. Southern Europe accounts for 73% of foreign national arrivals from the European continent, followed by Western Europe with 12% and Central/Eastern Europe with 6%.

Meanwhile, according to INSTAT, in October 2025, 659,405 Albanian citizens are counted as having left the territory of Albania, marking an increase of 5.6%, compared to October 2024. The departures of foreign citizens from the territory of Albania during October 2025 are 886,175. Compared to the same period a year ago, this indicator has increased by 24.4%.

Tourism performance

Tourism has shown continued volatility this year. After a rapid growth in the last two years, this was the first year with a significant slowdown in growth in several months, especially during the summer.

This came as a result of a series of negative developments that were voiced several times by chambers of commerce and business associations. Specifically, problems encountered with energy, water, waste, but also noise at construction sites and active construction in tourist areas created dissatisfaction among tourists, which made this visible on social networks but also in surveys by foreign agencies.

Another element was the increase in prices at the beginning of each season, mainly in May and June, which creates panic among low-cost tourists visiting Albania, while the depreciation of the euro has also affected vacationers from Kosovo, who suffered a kind of decrease as a result of visa liberalization from last year.

Tour operators have requested that measures be taken for the coming year so that despite lower growth, Albania can have stability in tourism, a sector that is showing signs of faltering very quickly. The expectation is that next year will have the same performance as the current one./ Monitor