Durrës is the city with the largest increase in visitors this summer season and as such has given weight to the entire central region. Data from the Institute of Statistics on accommodation structures in July showed that compared to the same period a year ago, the center region of Durrës increased by 50 percent. 

According to statistics the South, has remained in the same figures as in 2021, where the "abandonment" of locals has been balanced by foreigners. 
 

On the other hand, North had a modest increase of 3 percent in July 2022 compared to the same period a year ago. 

Non-resident visitors increased by 23 percent in the central region in July 2022 compared to 202. Tour operators actually reported that for Durrës alone there was a 30 percent higher demand than the city's accommodation capacity. 

Lifting of pandemic restrictions and more reasonable prices in relation to the service offered seem to have encouraged foreign companies to make it an important destination. 

Even though we are in September, Durrës continues to have the splendor of the peak of the season where, referring to flights from Rinas, there are at least 14 charters from Poland, Norway and Sweden, all part of organized tourism. 

The center also recorded the largest increase in domestic tourism, with 138% in July 2022, compared to the same period a year ago. In the southern region the number of domestic tourists decreased by 3.5% and in the north the contraction was higher with -20%. 

The contraction of domestic tourists in the north was offset by the increase of foreigners by 12%. The north is also the most interesting region for foreigners, attracting 41% of the total, while the center 31% and the south 28%. 

Even in the North, the number of non-resident tourists was high this July according to the data of accommodation structures, where the reported increase is 12.4 percent. In the South, the number of foreigners in July 2022 was 4.2 percent higher than July of the previous year. 

Locals on the other hand this summer were in a mass "exodus" to foreign destinations as a post-pandemic trend but also due to aggressive competitive all-inclusive packages offered by destinations such as Turkey, Montenegro and Greece. However, local vacationers in July had an increase only in the central region with a 138% increase, while in the South the accommodation structures reported a decrease of 3.4 percent compared to a year ago. The North region is even more affected by the lack of locals with a 20 percent decrease in July 2022 compared to July a year ago. 

INSTAT figures for July in the accommodation structures once again confirm the statements of the tour operators where the South was reported according to the areas from Vlora to Saranda with an occupancy that in July fluctuated on average between 50-70 percent also due to the "campaign" of expensive prices that began to circulate widely on social networks. 

(Source: Monitor)