The rate of Albanians leaving the country has been higher than that of foreigners entering the country during November. Figures published by the Institute of Statistics for the Movement of Citizens confirm that during November, when there is a series of national holidays and days off, locals have preferred to travel abroad.
According to the data, the number of foreign tourists who visited Albania in the January-November period rose to 11.8 million, from 11 million on the same period last year, the statistical office, INSTAT, said on Tuesday.
Tourists from Southern Europe made the largest group in the period under review, 7.9 million, followed by Western European tourists, at 948,486, INSTAT said in a statement.
In November alone, Albania was visited by 629,968 foreign nationals, a 4.2% increase compared to a year earlier.
In 2024, foreign tourist arrivals to Albania increased by 15%, reaching 11.7 million. The population of Albania was estimated at 2.4 million as of September 2023, INSTAT said in June 2024.
Tour operators said that the autumn has marked a better performance of tourists compared to the previous one and that September and October were at satisfactory levels, while November had a slowdown, also as a result of the not very stable weather.
“In November 2025, the number of Albanian citizens who entered the Albanian territory totaled 652,150, suffering a decrease of 1.3%, compared to November 2024. The number of foreign citizens who entered the Albanian territory is 629,968. This number has increased by 4.2%, compared to the same period of 2024,” the INSTAT announcement states.
Meanwhile, regarding exits in November 2025, 677,065 Albanian citizens are counted as having left the territory of Albania, marking an increase of 7.5%, compared to November 2024.
According to the announcement in November 2025, 96% of the entries of foreign citizens in Albania are from the European region.
Tour operators point out that visitors from Western Europe and beyond are visiting Albania, especially during the fall and spring, driven by cultural tourism. In addition to the Italians, who remain the most important group after Kosovo, Germany and France are also significantly increasing their share.
According to INSTAT, the purpose of entry into Albanian territory by foreign citizens is for personal purposes in 97% of cases. In November 2025, this indicator has increased by 4.5% compared to November 2024. The entries of foreign citizens for business and professional purposes have decreased by 3.6%.