Albania’s opposition leader Sali Berisha said on Monday that the recent decline in the country’s tourism sector is mainly due to the sharp devaluation of foreign currencies, which he attributed to what he called the government’s failure to curb illicit financial flows.
In a press conference, the Democratic Party chairman referred to the euro’s depreciation as the “narco-euro”, claiming it had severely impacted the country’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.
“Albania’s tourism potential is extraordinary. Its rivers, seas and lakes are a fairytale wealth,” Berisha said, adding that infrastructure development between 2005 and 2012 had led to a significant increase in tourist arrivals — from 300,000 in 2005 to 4.7 million in 2012.
While acknowledging continued growth in tourism figures, Berisha said the oft-cited 10 million visitor mark in recent years was inflated, as it included Albanian and regional airline passengers using low-cost carriers such as EasyJet and Ryanair.
“Despite this massive manipulation, there has undoubtedly been a real increase in tourist numbers,” he added. However, he claimed that the number of foreign tourists visiting Albania’s coastal and lake areas dropped significantly last year and has continued to fall in 2025.
Berisha accused the government, media, economists, and tourism operators of covering up the decline, stating: “They hide the truth out of ignorance, fear, or loyalty to the mafia code.”
He argued that the 35% devaluation of the euro and US dollar against the Albanian lek had raised travel costs, deterring visitors.
“A tourist who could buy certain goods and services for €100 last year now needs €135,” Berisha said. “This is a direct blow to tourism. To conceal this fact is to become complicit in a crime.”
Berisha linked the currency drop to large inflows of illicit cash: “The euro and dollar were devalued by 35% due to the injection of drug money into the economy through containers full of cash, undermining the purchasing power of foreign visitors.”