This summer has been a disappointment for the tourist season, where real developments did not match the expectations of the beginning of the year. Hotel structures in the South have reported a 30% drop in revenue compared to the summer of 2024, while in the North, this drop was 10-15%. The reason is the change in the target group that is visiting us, where those with a low budget predominate massively. Durrës has shown the highest stability on the entire coast. For 2026, guaranteed contracts have remained the same as in the summer of 2025, but a positive signal is the entry of the French market. Due to the deteriorating image, foreign agencies have added a clause that gives them the right to withdraw 20% of contracts by the end of the year if sales do not go well. In total, 2025 is expected to reach last year's figures for the number of foreigners, with the expectation that cultural tours will compensate for the summer's decline.
"After 12 days it's time to return to Portugal. Albania is a beautiful country but it's not yet ready to welcome so many tourists. A place you can see once and it's obvious you won't come back."
PS: The people are very nice.” This is Fernando's comment from Portugal, on his way home after a vacation in our country. A beautiful and sad comment at the same time.
This summer, unlike the past two, where positivity prevailed, has been divided between disappointment and beauty, with the balance leaning towards the former.
That tourism, like any sector, will have its own trajectory of ups and downs is not a surprise, but as a country with active promotion in international media, which is still continuing vigorously, such a swing was very rapid.
The reasons why tourism's success faded in the first months of this year and continued even more noticeably during the summer are several and include all parties from government to business.
Prices drove away Italians and Kosovo, service Albanian Diaspora
At the end of 2024, tour operators expected 2025 to have similar performance to last year.
Promotion in international media, the power of social networks, Albania's active participation in international events such as IBT Berlin, in which we were a place of honor, was expected to give another boost to the sector.
But since February, a slowdown in tourism was clearly visible, continuing with a step back in March and modest growth thereafter.
By the end of May, the picture was clear. Individual hotel bookings for the summer season were lower, a sign that the summer would not be as expected.
In the South of the country, the cause of the decline has been price instability and the establishment of a fair price/service ratio. The groups that were absent and that made the difference are Italians, Kosovo and the Albanian Diaspora in general.
The reason why we have not had a better summer season, as we expected, has to do with the trends shown by the main groups that maintain this tourism in the country.
Firstly, we have an outflow of tourists from the Italian market, secondly, a lower presence of Kosovo Albanians and thirdly, a lower number of the Albanian diaspora in the West.
The first two groups are affected by prices and this is their response to price fluctuations in our country, while the Diaspora was absent because it is disappointed.
This group of Albanians living abroad did not have price as their main criterion, but the quality of service.
"After many opportunities that have been given to the Albanian coast, where they know they will pay dearly, but do not get what they pay for, they have been disappointed and have given up, looking for other places where they pay but receive quality service," says Rrahman Kasa, Chairman of the Albanian Tourist Union.
Albania is increasingly being visited by "stingy" tourists
Promoting itself as a cheap destination, as Albania is, in fact, compared to other countries in the region or in Europe, has attracted those who want to explore at the lowest possible cost.
The tourist visiting Albania is not looking for luxurious experiences or summer vacations that they can find in countries like Italy, Spain, or Greece.
He seeks to spend as little as possible on accommodation, transportation, and food, and get the most out of a place he sees as his next adventure.
It is precisely this approach of Albania as a free country that has also changed the tourist who is visiting it, who is less qualitative in terms of spending than the traditional tourist.
As a result, bookings are lower in hotels and high inflows in apartments sold on Airbnb or Booking platforms.
The beach is a short stop on its day and public, cashless alternatives are the preferred solution, unlike the daytime connection with an umbrella and two sun loungers that in some cases cost as much as a night's accommodation.
Traditional home-cooked meals, fast food, and supermarkets dominate over expensive bars and restaurants.
Public transportation is a sought-after form whenever it is convenient, but the lack of alternatives sometimes pushes them towards renting a vehicle for a limited time.
"There is an increased interest in individual tourists who prefer booking on Airbnb. Tourists choosing this type of accommodation have seen a tremendous increase."
All the apartments are full because the prices are low and those visiting Albania are tourists on a low budget.
Edhe nëse marrim si referencë shifrat zyrtare që thonë se jemi me rritje, e sigurt është që turisti që po na viziton ka ndryshuar. Është një turist më pak cilësor duke nënkuptuar që paguan më pak dhe kërkon shërbime të lira”, – pohon z. Kasa.
Nga infrastruktura, mungesa e ujit e mbetjet, anët negative që zhvlerësojnë turizmin
Ky vit nuk ka qenë i lehtë për turizmin dhe shumë nga problemet e shfaqura ishin të harruara vitet e fundit, të paktën për zonat bregdetare. Zona të cilësuara elitare, por edhe ato që presin turizëm masiv, kanë pasur mungesë uji.
Në zona më rurale ku kanë alternuar qëndrimin turistët e aventurës ka pasur ndërprerje të energjisë.
“Viti 2025 ka pasur disa problematika që e kanë bërë më të vështirë ecurinë për bizneset e turizmit në rajonin e Golemit. Si fillim, ishte mungesa e ujit për shkak të riparimit që po bëhet në Manskuri;
së dyti, shërbimet lënë për të dëshiruar pasi duke qenë një biznes sezonal edhe mungesa e fuqisë punëtore ka sjellë që zëvendësimi të bëhet sipas mundësive dhe jo kudo me staf të kualifikuar.
Vlerësimi ynë nga operatorët e huaj turistikë bëhet si destinacion dhe ngërçet që mund të hasen nga subjekti në subjekt mund të penalizojë në zinxhir të gjithë.
Edhe për infrastrukturën është bërë shumë punë, por ka ende shumë për t’u bërë”, – tha Fatos Çerenishti, administrator i FAFA Group, struktura me kapacitetin më të madh akomodues në vend.
Teksa synimi ynë është tërheqja e një turisti sa më cilësor, që paguan më shumë, duket se oferta që ne kemi nuk shkon paralel me këtë pritshmëri.
Kjo nuk lidhet vetëm me shërbimet pasi hotelet nuk mund të jenë oaze të mbyllura dhe pa ndikim nga ajo çfarë ndodh rrotull, ku shpesh mbetjet e hedhura vend e pa vend, ujërat e ndotura apo kantieret e ndërtimit janë të paperceptueshme për një turist të huaj.
“Pavarësisht punëve që janë bërë, ne ende kemi probleme të mëdha me infrastrukturën, me trafikun e rënduar, me mbetjet e papastërtitë që hasen kudo, me inerte e kantiere ndërtimi aktivë, në mes të sezonit pranë strukturave akomoduese.
Për një pushues europian është e paperceptueshme që aty ku pushon të shohë vinçin e ndërtimit që i kalon mbi kokë në kantierin ngjitur. I gjithë bregdeti është me të tilla ndërtime aktive në Palasë, Dhërmi, Golem, Qerret.
Një turist i huaj që vjen të relaksohet në plazh gjatë verës nuk e percepton dot çlodhjen në një zonë ndërtimi.
Këto janë minuse që ne po i marrim si destinacion dhe kanë ndikimin e tyre negativ tek ata që mund të duan të vijnë të shohin vendin tonë, por ajo që lexojnë apo iu thuhet nuk është pozitive”, – shprehet z. Kasa.
Kontratat me garanci të 2026-s pa rritje, shtohet një klauzolë si efekt i imazhit negativ
Kontratat e parapaguara nga agjencitë e huaja për hotelet shqiptare për verën e ardhshme janë mbyllur në të njëjtat shifra si ato të vitit 2025.
Operatorët turistikë shprehen se kjo gjithsesi është pozitive pasi imazhi i Shqipërisë si destinacion është lëkundur disi këtë vit dhe negociatat nuk ishin aq të lehta.
The agencies have, however, added a clause to the contract that gives them the right to withdraw without penalty from 20% of the booked contracts if sales do not go as planned.
"This year has been a little more difficult for guaranteed contracts. We have no growth but we have managed to maintain the same numbers in the contracts we signed in 2024 for 2025, with great difficulty."
I say with great difficulty, because Albania has had a deterioration in its rating.
Despite the fact that we have managed to maintain the same booking levels in the agreement, there is a clause that allows agencies to reduce contracts by 20% by the end of the year, due to the damaged image.
"The agencies have agreed to see how sales will be by the end of the year and if they notice that Albania is no longer attracting as much as a destination, they can make revisions," said Mr. Kasa.
He added that Vlora is once again part of the guaranteed contracts, despite the vicissitudes of summer 2025 when the promised transport from Vlora Airport was made from Tirana.
For next summer, the expectation is that flights from this airport will actually begin. Regarding prepaid contracts, it seems that the groups interested in the Albanian coast have increased.
Now, in addition to Poles, Czechs, Spaniards, Israelis, and a number of other groups, the French have also been added to the list.
"We have closed guarantee contracts with foreign agencies and again the Poles and Czechs will be the two important groups that will come with guarantee contracts."
For the first time, next summer, the French will also come with guaranteed contracts.
Their agencies came several times to see the standards offered by the structures in the Durrës and Golem areas, conducted surveys and ultimately decided positively.
"These will account for 15% of the total guarantee contracts that we have active," said Mr. Çerenishti /Monitor.al.
