Tourism was the sector that shone in 2023, with a record number of visitors and returning to the best year on record. The objective of 10 million visitors, although still "uncertified" by the official publications of the Institute of Statistics, seems to have been achieved, as by November there were over 9.5 million visitors. 

In relation to the previous year, the year 2023 marked an increase of over 30% in the number of foreign citizens who entered the Albanian territory. The tourism industry, which at the beginning of last year expected a satisfactory growth, but without foreseeing the real levels at which the flow of visitors appeared, was caught by surprise. 

Tourist operators estimate that 2023 was the best year for Albania as a tourist destination and brand, but also the point where there should be quick reflection, in order not to turn this situation into a boomerang, due to the bottlenecks that the service shows, the lack of of human resources, infrastructure and transport or organization of mobility. 

The year 2024, thanks to the good echo of the promotion in the international media and social networks, is expected to be a continuation of the one we left behind. 

The march remains safe and indicative of this are the contracts with guarantees of organized tourism, which were signed in the middle of last year and marked a double-digit increase in number. 

Rrahman Kasa, president of the Albanian Tourist Union, says that the number of contracts with guarantees has marked a double-digit increase in relation to organized tourism in the country. The increase in demand has been such, leaving some of the international partners without meeting their needs or planning for additional capacities. 

"The contracts have been closed since the middle of 2023. From what I see in general from the market, it is an increase that goes up to 35% 'e-commitment', or the commitment to enter into a guarantee relationship. 

For the year 2024, the guaranteed capacities have been exhausted and some partners have secured their requirements, while others have not managed to find the required capacity. 

The Polish market leads for this year as well, and then comes the Czech one and others in a row", - underlines Mr. Case for "Monitor". 

In the past year, in relation to organized tourism, in addition to the Polish market, other important groups remain the Czechs, the Spanish. The presence of tourists from the Baltic countries, Hungary, Slovakia was also noted. 

Meanwhile, the Nordics, the Germans and the Swiss were organized with 'block seats' (reserving seats on airlines, but not special charters). 

Poles were the group with the largest growth in 2023 for organized tourism. The figures up to October showed a 34% increase in the 10 months of last year compared to the previous year. Specifically, in January-October 2022, over 165 thousand Poles came, while in the same period of 2023, there were over 222 thousand. 

For Arben ?ipa, from the Association of Hoteliers in Saranda, the Polish tourist is of high quality as it includes all categories, from those who don't spend to those who spend a lot. 

"The Poles lead in organized tourism. It has an increasing trend with significantly higher levels from year to year and remains the most stable. 

The peculiarity of the Polish market is that it includes all categories or economic levels in the flow. They are a group of tourists who spend economically, even much more than any other type of market", Mr. Chip. 

Albania, marketed as an economic destination, had a significant number of tourists who had as the main reason for choosing the low costs. Most of the European sand and sea destinations saw price increases from the high inflation that accompanied the Eurozone and this was one more reason for Europeans to include Albania in their adventure list. 

The increase in demand from international promotion, but also economic prices, brought another chain effect that follows the logic of the market, which is the increase in prices. This was clearly seen in the middle of last year, when packages for guaranteed contracts increased by at least 35%. 

"The prices set in 2023 in guarantee contracts, which belong to the next season, have marked a drastic increase, ranging from 15-25%, which is not normal for a cooperative relationship like we have with foreign agencies. 

At this level, Albania will be sold 25% more expensive and the customer, who is used to the prices of the past years, will be surprised with a significantly higher price. Let's say that, if a package was sold for 1000 euros, now it will be sold for 250 euros more and the value is not small. 

This significant increase is the result of the devaluation of the Euro and increased costs", - asserts Mr. Cash register from the Albanian Tourist Union. 

Giving this signal in the middle of last year may indicate that during this year, prices driven more by demand may increase even for individual tourists.

Such a step may affect the group of those who choose Albania as an economic destination. Last year, the adventure tourist and the tendency to spend minimally prevailed. 

This is also related to the fact that young tourists prevailed, who have a limited budget. You could reach this conclusion if you compared the flow of tourists with consumption that did not have the same growth rate. 

"Compared to 2022, if we talk about the number of tourists, I think that in some regions there were twice as many, and in others, 70-80% more tourists. Consumption has not increased at the same rate, but in relation to 2022 we can say that it has increased by 50%. 

Not all ages of tourists have spent a lot", Mr. Chips in the closing of the balance of tourism 2023. 

(Source: Monitor)