Arrivals of Kosovo Albanians fell by 16% in July 2024 compared to the same month a year ago. The data published by the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) regarding the countries of origin of the citizens who entered Albania, confirm what tour operators claimed earlier: fewer Kosovar Albanians visited the Albanian coast.

In the 7 months of the year, a total of 710,000 citizens from Kosovo entered Albania, while a year ago the number totaled 847,000.

This is the first time since the pandemic that this group has recorded a decline as it has maintained the main weight of tourism every year, remaining at levels above 40 percent of total arrivals. Until June, the figures showed a positive trend in the arrival of tourists from Kosovo, where in June 2024 they were 15 percent more than June of the previous year.

The decrease in the number of visitors from Kosovo was warned at the beginning of the year as an effect of visa liberalization that started in January. More Kosovans preferred destinations such as Greece or Croatia through the increase in the frequency of buses that took them to the destination, while also the trips from Tirana to destinations with low-cost lines saw an increase.

The figures reported by Tirana International Airport showed an increase in citizens from Kosovo who chose to fly from this airport. Visa liberalization reduced not only weekend trips to Albania but also summer vacations.

Tour operators would appreciate that the era of ‘patriotic tourism’ has ended and the attraction of tourists from Kosovo will have to be done in a fair ratio with service and competitive offers about the potential markets where the latter can go. Another reason that seems to have influenced the presence of fewer Kosovar Albanians in the country was the increased prices this year.

From Velipoja to Ksamil, the country had an increase in prices from minimum values ??to almost 2-fold and even though Albania again offered alternatives for everyone, it seems that the panic that was created on social networks, especially in June and early July, "scared" patriotic tourism. Vacationers from Kosovo stayed mainly in Velipoja and Shengjin, where the prices were more reasonable, while there were fewer vacationers in Golem and the South.

In addition to the direct increase in prices, the fall of the Euro is another factor that has negatively affected Kosovo's tourism.