Tourism changes geography/ Neighbors "abandon" Albania in season. Malaysia and India with strong growth
This year's summer season has brought an interesting picture regarding the arrivals of foreign citizens to Albania. Scan Intel has analyzed the arrivals for the months of May, June and July, a period that coincides with the start and intensification of the summer season. The publication of July data now allows a more complete reading of the trend, avoiding the conclusions that only one single month can provide.
At first glance, the figures show that during the period May-July 2026, around 4.45 million entries were registered, or 7.3% more than in the same period last year. But behind the increase in the total, there is a significant change in the origin of the flows. The Western Balkan countries, which have traditionally been among the main sources of entries to Albania, are losing ground.
In terms of region, the sharpest decline was recorded by Serbia, with 17.4%, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 12%. Arrivals from North Macedonia fell by 5.5%, while from Kosovo by 3.4%. Kosovo continues to have the largest volume, with around 1.43 million arrivals in three months, but it counted nearly 50 thousand fewer arrivals than a year ago.
Montenegro was the exception in the region, with an increase of 2.7%, from 218 thousand to 224 thousand entries.
The region's decline becomes even more apparent when looking at its overall weight. In the May-July 2025 period, the five Western Balkan markets accounted for around 50.1% of all foreign inflows. This year, the weight has dropped to around 45.1%.
Meanwhile, out of all the countries analyzed, the two countries with the strongest decline in arrivals during the May-July period were Saudi Arabia and China. Arrivals from Saudi Arabia fell by 23.2%, while those from China by 19% compared to the same period a year ago.
On the other hand, some markets have seen very strong growth. In percentage terms, Malaysia leads the way, with a 408% increase, from 1,056 arrivals during May-July 2025 to 5,364 this year. This growth was mainly concentrated in June, when arrivals increased from 387 to 4,681.
Malaysia was followed by Lithuania, with a 114% increase, while India doubled its arrivals, with a 101.5% expansion. Estonia and Finland each recorded increases of 73.8%, while Israel increased by 57.3% and Ukraine by 53.1%.
Data for July, a key month of the summer season, also confirm the same trend. In total, around 1.96 million entries were registered, or 7.1% more than in July last year.
In July, Estonia led the growth in arrivals with 97.3%, followed by India with 80.8%, Lithuania with 71.3%, Latvia with 63.6%, Finland with 59.4% and Egypt with 57.1%.
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