Albania recorded an 11.2% increase in overnight stays in tourist accommodation structures during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data published by Eurostat.

The report shows that in the period January-March, a total of 834,966 overnight stays were registered in Albania, of which 308,781 were made by domestic tourists and 526,185 by foreign visitors.

According to Eurostat, the growth of tourism in Albania was supported by both domestic and foreign tourism. Domestic tourist overnight stays increased by 14.1%, while those of foreign visitors increased by 9.6% compared to the first quarter of 2025.

The data show that Albania ranks among the countries with the highest growth in tourist activity in Europe during this period, leaving behind several countries in the region. In North Macedonia, the total increase was only 0.1%, while Montenegro recorded a decrease of 2.4%.

At the European Union level, during the first quarter of 2026, 471.1 million overnight stays in tourist accommodations were recorded, or 3.4% more than in the same period of 2025.

Eurostat estimates that the growth of tourism in the EU was mainly driven by international tourists, whose overnight stays increased by 5.5%, while domestic tourism recorded a more modest increase of 1.7%.

According to the report, Ireland recorded the highest growth in Europe with 35.3%, followed by Malta with 11.1%, Denmark with 9.3%, and Croatia with 9%.

Italy, Spain, and Germany remained the destinations with the highest volume of tourist overnight stays in the European Union during the first three months of the year.