Foreigners "restrain" entry into Albania/Decline from European markets. Albanians kept growth at the border
INSTAT data show that in February 2026, 1.1 million Albanian and foreign citizens entered Albania, with an increase of 3.9% compared to February 2025. But behind this total increase, a clear development is hidden. The pace of foreign citizen arrivals has slowed down significantly. Their arrivals increased by only 0.03%, while for the January-February period they decreased by -0.7%. In practice, this means that the flow of foreigners is almost stagnant compared to the same period a year ago.
The situation is different for Albanian citizens, who bear the brunt of the increase. In February, Albanian entries increased by 7.6%, while exits by 5.3%. This shows that the expansion of border movements this beginning of the year has not been driven by a new boom in foreign visitors, but mainly by the higher mobility of Albanians themselves.
The biggest hit to the total figures comes from the European market, which remains the main source of arrivals. In January-February, arrivals from Europe fell by over 9 thousand, compared to a year earlier. The decline was particularly noticeable in Central/Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Eastern Europe/Mediterranean, while only Southern Europe recorded an increase. This indicates that the slowdown is not only related to the Middle East, but to a broader slowdown in several incoming markets.
However, the full impact of the Middle East conflict can hardly be read into February's statistics, as the latest escalation began in the final days of the month. This means that the effect on travel, bookings and visitor decision-making is more likely to be reflected in March's data than in February's.
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