Albania's tourist balance 2024 is leaning towards the positive side, with a 15.2 percent increase in foreign visitors compared to the previous year.

Official data shows that from January to December 2024, 11.7 million foreigners visited Albania, compared to 10.1 million visitors a year ago.

After a rapid but stable growth in the post-pandemic years, 2024, although a good year, registered for the first time the signs of a slowdown in some months, something that came mainly as an effect of internal developments but also external.

What stands out is that December has not managed to keep the same growth pace as the previous months of October or November, when the growth was around 10 percent, dropping to 6 percent which is still a good growth, but weaker than autumn.

Tourism fluctuated especially during the summer, when in certain months the increase was non-existent, while the increase in prices at the end of spring and beginning of summer in some regions was the first blow to the sector that created a wrong perception for the entire coast.

Likewise, the devaluation of the euro and the liberalization of visas for Kosovo had an impact on the weaker touristic presence of this group in our country.

Beyond these developments, the year 2024 marks another year with a historical record in the number of visitors, as tour operators expect that the year 2025 will also have a good performance, based first on the guaranteed contracts that are the first signal of the markets' progress.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, made the figures public on Monday, stressing that Albania is on a good path in terms of stable growth in terms of inflows, and has consolidated a diversified tourist offer.

Beyond the increases in tourist arrivals from the countries of the region, the year 2024 has confirmed the growth and stability of markets from Western Europe such as Italy, Germany, France, and Great Britain, and has expanded the map of distant markets and brought more visitors from them.

"The consolidation of Western European markets such as Italy, Germany, France, Spain or Britain, in addition to the growth from the countries of the region and the approach of visitors from distant Asian and American markets, accompanied by the extraordinary impact on the economy such as Euro 3.8 billion generated by tourism only in the 9 months of 2024 or the increase in the standards of accommodation structures are the best indicators of the vision that is becoming a reality, the promotion prestigious and good experiences created year after year," said Minister Kumbaro.