Kosovo Visitors Drive Summer Tourism Surge as Italian Arrivals SlipTirana, September 26, 2025 — By Tirana Times Staff
Albania’s summer tourism season ended on a stronger note in August, with a surge in visitors from neighboring Kosovo offsetting weak demand from other markets, particularly Italy.
According to official data from INSTAT, 2.38 million foreign nationals entered Albania in August, a 9.9% increase compared with the same month last year. The rebound followed sluggish growth earlier in the season, including just 0.4% in July and a decline in March.
Kosovo accounted for nearly half of all arrivals. For the first time, more than 1 million Kosovars crossed into Albania in a single month, marking a 15% annual rise. Their arrivals made up 47% of the total in August, compared with 38% over the first eight months of the year. Almost 70% of the month’s overall growth came from Kosovo alone.
The record numbers are partly explained by a bilateral agreement reinstated in May, eliminating routine border checks for vehicles traveling between Albania and Kosovo. Many Kosovars also use Albania as a transit route, flying from Tirana International Airport, where ticket prices and routes remain competitive.
Yet tourism operators warn that the statistical boost may not reflect reality on the ground. “There is actually a lower presence of Kosovars this summer,” said Rrahman Kasa, head of the Albanian Tourism Union, citing higher prices, the weak euro, and the lure of visa-free travel to Greece and beyond.
The reliance on Kosovar visitors echoes a recent trend in trade, where transit fuel flows to Kosovo inflated Albania’s export figures. Analysts suggest the pattern may be masking underlying weaknesses in both sectors.
Italian Market Slips, French Surge
While Kosovo kept overall numbers positive, Italian tourists — historically the second-largest group — continued to decline. Their arrivals fell 6.4% in August to around 240,000, marking a second consecutive monthly drop. Just a year earlier, Italy had posted double-digit growth.
Tourism representatives blame rising prices for deterring Italians, who were initially drawn to Albania’s reputation as a low-cost destination. “Albania was advertised as cheap,” Kasa said. “Now the price increase is driving them away.”
Other markets told a mixed story. French arrivals jumped 36% to 66,000, while Montenegrins surged 43% to 100,000, though many used Albania as a transit point. Germans slowed to 3.7% growth, consistent with their preference for off-peak travel. Poles and Spaniards both declined, by 7% and 1% respectively, while Serbian visitors fell sharply by 18%.
One standout was Israel, with nearly 15,000 entries in August compared with just 1–2,000 in previous years. Ukrainians also rose 43%, though total numbers remained modest at 22,000.
Tourism Revenues Under Pressure
Despite the headline increase in visitors, hotel operators reported weaker revenues. Southern resorts said income dropped by about 30% compared with summer 2024, while northern destinations saw a smaller decline of 10–15%.
Industry sources point to a shift in visitor profiles. “Low-budget travelers now dominate,” one hotelier said, noting that higher-spending segments have scaled back.
Overall, the season highlighted both Albania’s dependence on Kosovar tourists and its vulnerability to changing price perceptions in key markets. With Italians pulling back and western Europeans only partly filling the gap, August’s spike may prove more statistical than sustainable.
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