Foreign tourist arrivals to Albania reached 1,146,090 in September, a 3.8% increase compared to the same month last year, the country’s statistics office said on Friday.

Despite high expectations that tourism would have a spring-like momentum during the fall, it seems that the September numbers have somewhat disappointed. Of course, the number of foreigners who have visited the country has increased compared to September of the previous year, but this figure is low. This is the second month with the lowest growth this year after July when growth was only 2.69%.

Tourists from southern Europe made the largest group, accounting for 65% of the total number of foreign tourists who visited Albania in September, INSTAT said in a monthly report.

Foreign tourist arrivals to Albania grew 17% on the year to 9.7 million in the first nine months of 2024, tourism minister Mirela Kumbaro said earlier this month.

In 2023, international visitors to Albania totaled 10.1 million, a 35% increase over the previous year, the tourism ministry has said.

"During September 2024, it turns out that 1,794,274 Albanian citizens and foreigners entered the territory of Albania. This indicator has increased by 8.7%, compared to September 2023. 1,927,816 Albanian citizens and foreigners have left the territory of Albania, marking an increase of 12.6%, compared to the same period of the previous year. In September 2024, the number of Albanian citizens who entered the Albanian territory was 648,184, experiencing an increase of 18.6%, compared to September 2023. The number of foreign citizens who entered the Albanian territory was 1,146,090. This number has increased by 3.8%, compared to the same period of 2023," INSTAT said in the report.

As for the exits in September 2024, 698,268 Albanian citizens are counted to have left the territory of Albania, marking an increase of 14.2%, compared to September 2023. The exits of foreign citizens from the territory of Albania during September 2024 totaled 1,229,548. Compared to the same period a year ago, this indicator has increased by 11.7%.

In September 2024, 95% of the arrivals of foreign citizens in Albania are from the European region. Southern Europe accounts for 69% of the arrivals of foreign nationals from the European continent, followed by Western Europe with 12%.

During this year, tourism has recorded significant fluctuations, influenced by several factors. With a good start during the beginning of the year when the growth was double-digit with a record in February 2024 compared to last 2023 when 55.3 percent more foreign nationals entered the country were registered or in March with 47.1 percent the expectation was that year kept a satisfactory pace.

However, the sudden increase in prices at the beginning of the summer season in some regions, which influenced the perception that Albania became unaffordable, gave a heavy blow for July and August. A group of tourists who were absent as an effect of this perception, but more as an effect of the devaluation of the euro, were the Kosovar Albanians who have historically held the majority of visitors. The visa liberalization also affected the latter.