Albania looks to double number of annual tourists with new airport
The Balkans are Europe‘s best-kept secret for travel. Since the days of Lord Byron’s legendary romps across the area, people have been quietly exploring its immense natural beauty. While Greece and Croatia have long been world-famous hotspots, the past few years have seen a new country, Albania, rise as the destination.
Now, the small country of just over two million people looks to extend its pull even further, opening up its 279-mile-long coastline to more visitors than many could have imagined just a few years ago.
Albania has risen to become one of Europe’s most sought-after locations over the past decade among hardened travellers, students and music fans. In an era where mass tourism is being angrily denounced across Europe, typified by the anti-tourist protests held in Barcelona and across Spain, which have continued this week in Mallorca, Albania is to eschew this trend and double the number of annual tourists with a new airport.
Notably, a seismic country such as Spain, which has a population of over 48million and a GDP of $2.516trillion, has a much different economic situation to the much smaller Albania, despite its GDP being on the rise and sitting at $59.099billion. Tourism has been one of Spain’s most significant financial boons for decades, and it is one of the most popular destinations in the world. In 2023, the country’s tourism industry reached record highs, exceeding pre-pandemic levels, welcoming over 84million visitors who spent more than €108 billion.
Yet, due to Albania’s tumultuous political history, it hasn’t been able to reach similar heights to Spain, particularly given it only has just two operational airports, with the capital Tirana’s having a monopoly over flights that only ended with the completion of Kukës International Airport in 2021. Now, the situation is set to evolve again, making travel from the capital to the country’s idyllic Riviera – also known as Bregu – and other popular destinations such as Durrës and the Canyon of Gjipe much more accessible.
Albania is working to double its annual number of tourists with a new airport, the £88million Vlora International Airport, under construction near the Vlorë resort. With the country welcoming in 7.5million international arrivals in 2022, which grew to 10.1million last year, and 2024 already seeing record numbers of visitors, with 4.5million entering the country in the first six months – marking a 34% increase over the same period in 2023 – this is a significant move. While a reported 14million visitors will dwarf the country’s population, it will contribute to their continuing economic growth.
The Albanian government first revealed plans for Vlora Airport in 2017, and in 2021, Mabetex International, a company specialising in expansive civil engineering projects, committed £88 million to its initial phase. Albania is also going one step further, and in January 2024, the minister of infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, revealed that the country’s fourth airport will be built at Gjirokastër instead of Sarandë as Prime Minister Edi Rama said in 2022.
With new airport, a cheap cost of living compared to most of Europe, natural beauty and festivals such as Kala, Albania is jumping headfirst into its future as it looks to cement its status as a mainstream destination.
