Albanians traveled abroad more frequently during 2025, with Italy and Greece continuing to be the most popular destinations.

Data published by INSTAT in its Vacations and Travels 2025 survey show that Albanian residents aged 15 and over made approximately 4.5 million trips during the year for both personal and business purposes. Of these, 97.6% were personal trips, while only 2.4% were business-related.

The data indicate that outbound travel continued to grow at double-digit rates. Compared with 2024, the number of trips abroad increased by 14.3%, supported by the expansion of low-cost airline services.

Italy remained the most visited destination, accounting for 11.3% of all trips, followed by Greece with 10.4% and Germany with 4%. This reflects the countries where large Albanian diaspora communities have settled over the years and where their share of the total remains significant. A considerable number of trips were also made to other destinations, including Turkey, Spain and Montenegro.

Unlike domestic travel, where the main purpose is vacation and leisure, the primary reason for trips abroad remains visiting relatives and friends, which accounted for 52% of all outbound travel. This confirms the continuing importance of the Albanian diaspora in cross-border travel.

Within Albania, residents made 4.4 million personal trips, with “vacation and leisure” remaining the main purpose, accounting for 52.8% of the total.

As tour operators point out, seasonality remains pronounced. August accounted for the highest share of trips, with 12.6% of the annual total, followed by June with 10.9%, December with 10.2%, and July with 9.8%, reflecting the peak of the summer tourist season and increased travel during the end-of-year holidays.

The increase in travel was also accompanied by changes in accommodation preferences. During 2025, the use of short-term rental apartments, including those booked through platforms such as Airbnb, increased by 5.9%, while hotel stays rose by 5.6% compared with the previous year.

Air transport recorded the strongest growth, with passenger volumes increasing by 14%, in line with the expansion of flight offerings and the growing number of passengers using Tirana International Airport. On average, Albanians stayed 5.3 nights per trip, with the highest average number of overnight stays recorded during July and August.

For domestic travel, Tirana remained the most visited destination, accounting for 13.7% of all trips, followed by Vlora with 12.2%, while Korça and Durrës each accounted for 7.3%.