On the streets of Tirana and beyond, this year I often come across young German boys, with backpacks on their backs, as they settle into rented houses, or sit in bars and restaurants. Many of them also speak French.
France and Germany are the two countries that have "conquered" Albania this year, taking over from Italy, which until a year ago had a clear preference for the country of the eagles. INSTAT data revealed that both France and Germany have recorded a strong increase in arrivals to the country.
In January-July, arrivals from Germany reached 231 thousand, an increase of 28%, or 50 thousand more. Germany has climbed to sixth place for the first time, after Kosovo, Italy, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Greece, countries that have traditionally visited Albania. Tour operators claim that mainly individual and young tourists are coming. The positive trend continued in July with 15% more arrivals.
France also saw strong growth, with 160,000 arrivals from this country for January-July, or 48% more, moving up to ninth place. In terms of numbers, France also had the highest growth rate of all countries with 51,000 more. Their trend seems to be stable, with July marking a 55% increase. Tour operators claim that they are in negotiations to close contracts with French tourists for next year.
The French and Germans seem to be "replacing" the Italians, whose interest in Albania this year seems to have waned. In January-July, 664 thousand Italian citizens entered the country, with an increase of 4.5%. In the same period a year ago, the expansion had been 47%. However, Italians remain the second largest group of tourists in the country, with 10% of the total, for the 7-month period, compared to Germany's 3.5% and France's 2.4%.
Citizens from Kosovo continue to remain the largest group of tourists in Albania, with 35% of the total for the 7 months, although the trend is decreasing.
Compared to the French and Germans, tourism is showing signs of slowing down this year. For January-July, 6.58 million foreign citizens entered the country, with an increase of 3.5% on an annual basis, from 23% in the same period a year earlier. The figures were also lukewarm in July, with 1.82 million arrivals, or only 0.4% more than July 2024./ MONITOR
