TIRANA, August 7 – Albania attracted 1,955,099 foreign visitors in July 2026, extending the country’s tourism growth, Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister Blendi Gonxhja said on Thursday.
Gonxhja said the figure compares with 1,825,490 foreign visitors in July 2025. The increase of 129,609 visitors represents year-on-year growth of about 7.1%. He added that July recorded 608,820 more foreign visitors than June 2026, marking a monthly increase of 45.22%.
According to the minister, the figures point to a strong recovery after slower growth in June. Visitor numbers rose 8.2% during January–May compared with the same period of 2025. Growth slowed to 1.3% in June before rebounding to 7.1% in July.
Gonxhja said the July results confirm that the June slowdown did not develop into a lasting downward trend. Instead, the latest figures brought growth close to the pace recorded during the first five months of the year.
However, the minister said July would have welcomed about 2,094,542 foreign visitors if June had maintained its earlier growth trend. That projection leaves a gap of 139,443 visitors, or about 6.7%, compared with the actual July total.
Gonxhja described continued protests and attacks targeting businesses in Albania’s hospitality industry as a concern for tourism. At the same time, he said festivals, themed routes, cultural celebrations, international conferences and major concerts, including Kanye West’s “YE” event in Tirana and Zucchero’s performance, helped boost visitor numbers.
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