Albania recorded a sharp rise in foreign visitors in January, with 560,396 arrivals marking a 14.5% increase from a year earlier, data from the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) showed on Tuesday.
The total number of people entering Albania, including both Albanian and foreign nationals, climbed 12.4% year-on-year to 1,158,204 in January.
The number of Albanian citizens returning to the country reached 597,808, up 10.6% compared to the same period in 2024, INSTAT data showed.
European tourists accounted for the vast majority of foreign arrivals, representing 97% of the total. Of these, 87% came from Southern Europe, while 4% were from Western Europe.
Personal trips, including holidays and family visits, continued to dominate reasons for travel, making up 97% of foreign arrivals—a 13.4% increase from January 2024. Business and professional visits also surged, rising by 90.1% year-on-year.
Meanwhile, departures from Albania also grew. In January, 1,360,299 Albanian and foreign citizens left the country, up 11.7% compared to the same period last year.