Albania is recording an increase in the number of visitors, where the figures show an increase in tourists coming not only through the "Mother Teresa" airport but also from the port of Durrës and other cross-border points.

Zak Topuzi, chairman of the Hotel-Tourism Association, said for Scan TV that the entry of foreign tourists increased by 38% to date this year, with the majority visiting Tirana and historical cities such as Gjirokastra, Berati, Kruja, etc.

"We have an increase of 38%. As of 6 months, 95% of foreign tourists in Albania are European tourists, and almost 75% of them are from the region or Albanians who are emigrating and this is the main contingent that makes up tourism in Albania. For this we have to do a proper analysis and how to serve them better," said Topuzi.

Topuzi emphasizes that the promotion of Albania as a low-cost country has damaged the sector.

"They are mostly people who come with a small budget. If you look at them at the airport, people are traveling with 40 euro tickets. So, we do not pretend that they spend in expensive restaurants and hotels. And this is the problem that Albanian tourism has this year," said Topuzi.

He further emphasized that Albania should aim for sustainable tourism, where the challenges are many, from increasing the quality of services, and accommodation capacities, to qualified staff. According to Topuzi, even though salaries are competitive in this sector, Albania remains far from the countries of the region.

"Within 7 years, we have increased the accommodation capacity and even tripled it, while almost 45 thousand workers leave every year. We have 2 opposite actions, increasing capacity and need for manpower, and on the other hand, employees leave. According to the World Economic Forum, Albania is ranked 108 out of 117 countries for the short season. This short seasonality does not allow you to keep a qualified workforce", added Topuzi.

During this year, Albania is expected to host 14 million visitors. Foreign tourist arrivals to Albania reached 3.3 million in the January-May period, up from 2.4 million in the same period of 2023, tourism minister Mirela Kumbaro has said. In May alone, foreign tourist arrivals surged 38% year-on-year, to 974,000.

In 2023, total tourist arrivals in Albania numbered 10.1 million, a 35% increase from the previous year, the tourism ministry has said.