TIRANA, August 21 – Albania’s cultural heritage institutions and sites recorded a significant rise in visitors during the first 7 months of 2026. A total of 824,340 domestic and foreign visitors visited the sites from January to July, marking an 80% increase from the same period in 2023.
According to Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja, visitor numbers also rose by 26.4% compared with 2024 and by 6.3% compared with 2025. The figures show growing interest in Albania’s monuments, museums and archaeological parks.
Leading the list, Gjirokastër Castle received 161,274 visitors, followed by Butrint National Park with 158,612. The Archaeological Park of Shkoder ranked third with 108,150 visitors. The George Kastrioti Skanderbeg National Museum in Kruja received 84,177 visitors, while the Archaeological Park of Apollonia recorded 77,402.
Meanwhile, the Onufri National Iconographic Museum attracted 57,372 visitors. The figures underline the growing role of Albania’s cultural heritage in the country’s tourism offer.
/a.p./
The post Over 824,000 visitors to cultural heritage sites, Gjirokastër Castle leads appeared first on RTSH English.
