Are more or fewer tourists coming? What do the 2025 figures show? The challenge of numbers is being “replaced” by quality
In the first four months of 2025, Albania has welcomed over 2.4 million foreign nationals. In absolute terms, the figure is higher than any previous year for this period. However, if we look at it compared to last year, the growth is lower, with only 5% more arrivals than in January-April 2024. So, we have a high figure, but with smaller steps than before. “Scan Intel” raises precisely the essential question: are more tourists coming, or fewer? Are we entering another phase of the tourist cycle?
If we analyze the trend from 2019, it is clear that Albanian tourism has experienced a strong growth after the pandemic crisis. From only 585 thousand arrivals in January-April 2020, the number has increased every year, rising to 754 thousand in 2021, over 1 million in 2022, and reaching a record of 2.3 million in 2024. This means that in just four years, arrivals have quadrupled.
But 2025 seems to have brought a different rhythm. Although the absolute number of tourists is higher than in 2024, the growth rate has slowed significantly. After an annual increase of 57% in 2023 and 38% in 2024, the current year brings a modest increase of only 5%. This makes 2025 the year with the lowest growth since the pandemic.
Are we reaching a "peak" in tourist flow?
To understand what is happening, we need to analyze the context. In recent years, Albania has benefited from a combination of factors that have led to a “tourism boom”, lower prices than in the region, increased international promotion and the tendency to explore new destinations after the pandemic. But it seems that the market is entering a maturation phase.
In this phase, exponential growth is replaced by gradual growth, and attention shifts to the quality of the offer and the extension of the season. If before it was enough for Albania to be “cheap and beautiful”, now visitors demand more.
Why has this growth slowdown occurred?
The reasons are numerous. First, the very fact that we have reached such a high figure makes it difficult to maintain the same growth rate. Second, the increase in prices in tourist areas may have deterred some visitors. Third, competition with neighboring countries, such as Greece, Montenegro or Croatia, is increasingly strong.
On the other hand, improved transportation, the increase in low-cost flights, and international promotion continue to be positive factors that keep interest in our country high. But this no longer translates into double-digit growth, as in previous years.
This year's figures do not show that fewer tourists are coming, but we have a record. However, the rapid growth is being replaced by a new, more stable phase, where the challenge is no longer the number, but the quality of the tourist experience.
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