Albania is Europe's fastest growing holiday destination. The country's government expects the number of foreign visitors to triple in the next five years, writes Telegraph. This has led to ”panic” in the country as there are fears that tourism is increasing faster than it can handle, writes Express

Albania was long something of a hidden gem for tourists in Europe. In addition to sandy beaches and hot summer temperatures, tourists were attracted by attractions such as the Blue Eye mountain spring, the Dajti Ekspres cable car that takes tourists up a mountain, and Butrint National Park.

But Albania has seen its tourism industry explode in recent years. The country had around ten million visitors in 2023, a 56 percent increase compared to before the pandemic. 

This makes Albania Europe's fastest growing holiday destination. Albania's tourism is growing third fastest in the world, only beaten by Qatar (89 percent between 2019 and 2023) and Puerto Rico (58 percent).

The Albanian government expects up to 30 million foreign visitors by 2030, more than Portugal or Croatia receive today. 

Concerns about the tourism boom

But Uesli Didani from local news site Saranda Web tells the Telegraph that there are concerns that the tourism boom is happening faster than is manageable.

“Some construction projects have been carried out without proper planning. In coastal cities like Saranda, there has been environmental degradation due to dumping of construction waste into the sea,” Didani says.

Didani also says that locals are being squeezed out of the housing market, similar to what has been seen in tourist destinations like Mallorca, due to foreign visitors.

“Mass tourism has driven up prices in coastal areas, making rents and services unaffordable for residents,” Didani says.

Source: expressen.se