Media in Tirana: Number of tourists from Kosovo to Albania decreases, number from Serbia increases
Express newspaper
22/08/2025 16:21
Tourism in Albania is experiencing noticeable changes during 2025, with a slowdown in tourist arrivals from abroad, especially from Kosovo.
According to data published by the magazine “Monitor.al”, for the period January-July, 6.58 million foreign tourists entered the country, with a slowed growth of only 3.5%, compared to a 23% increase in the same period a year earlier. Even in July, the figures were modest, with only a 0.4% increase compared to July 2024.
The most noticeable drop comes from Kosovo, which accounts for about 35% of total tourists in the first 7 months of the year. Arrivals from Kosovo have decreased by 5% or 121 thousand fewer tourists, while in July alone there was a decrease of 6%.
According to the magazine “Monitor.al“, this downward trend of the so-called “patriotic tourism” is related to three main reasons: the lifting of visas for Kosovars to EU countries as of January 2024, the increase in prices in Albania, and the weakening of the euro against the common currency used in Kosovo.
Even the second largest group of tourists, Italians, are showing a slowdown with a growth of only 4.5% for the 7 months, compared to 47% last year. Meanwhile, North Macedonia continues to be loyal to Albanian destinations with an increase of 11.3%, while visits from Montenegro have shrunk by 2%.
Also declining are visits from Turkey (-8.3% for the 7 months and -33% in July), Poland (-12%), and Spain (-5.3%). Tour operators explain that this decrease is mainly due to the reduction in individual tourists.
A special development is the return of Serbian tourists, who increased by 16% for the period January-July, or 77 thousand more, and by 28% in July alone, mainly preferring the southern area of Albania.
On the other hand, France and Germany have marked a significant increase in tourists visiting Albania, with 47% and 27% more respectively for the first 7 months of this year./tvklan.al