Tourism, summer 2025, a step back, the summer season is expected to be weaker than last year's

2025-07-14 07:44:00, Ekonomi CNA

Tourism, summer 2025, a step back, the summer season is expected to be weaker

While expectations were for tourism to grow by around 15% this year, official figures have dampened this optimism, with tour operators even expecting the 2025 summer season to be weaker than last year. Individual bookings for July-August are lower than a year ago, especially from Vlora to Saranda.

Those who are missing are the diaspora and Kosovo. The most stable part remains organized tourism, which is respecting the figures of the contracts with signed guarantees. Tour operators fear that the not very good assessments that Albania is receiving recently from tourists brought by foreign agencies may take us a step back.

Despite investments and measures taken, the sector suffers from poor infrastructure, traffic, waste, noise, and active construction sites in tourist areas, while recently basic problems such as water shortages have also been emerging, mainly in Golem.

At the beginning of the year, tour operators expected tourism to grow by 15% compared to 2024.

The optimistic expectation stemmed from several factors, the most important of which was the fact that Albania remained a widely promoted destination.

Month after month, these expectations have faded somewhat, and this was officially "sealed" by the Citizens' Movement figures, where in May there were 1.9% more foreigners than in May 2024. In total, the 5-month period marked an increase of only 3.9% in the entry of foreigners.

When it seemed that slowing growth was the lesser evil, it could actually escalate further.

Tour operators expect the 2025 summer to be weaker than last year, taking as a reference the advance bookings for July and August, which are significantly lower, while June has also been weak.

"June, from the contacts I have with hotels, has not been going well. There have been fewer reservations than last year.

Apart from organized tourism, which is growing because there are guaranteed contracts, i.e. prepaid and respected, individual reservations have performed poorly.

Excluding Shëngjin and Velipoja, where the main attendance remains from Kosovo, along the entire coast from Durrës to Vlorë and Saranda, individual reservations have been fewer than in June 2024.

"This is most visible especially in Vlora and Saranda," said Rrahman Kasa, Chairman of the Albanian Tourist Union.

Weaker summer, but "autumn" is expected to save the year

While summer is expected to have a lower number of visitors as a result of a smaller Diaspora and a less present Kosovo, overall, 2025 is expected to have better performance, offset by spring, albeit with modest growth, but also by autumn cultural tours.

"I think that in the summer season, the numbers will be lower than last year in terms of tourists. Overall, I expect 2025 to be better than 2024. This difference can be made by the cultural tours of the fall."

"The growth will still be lower than what we initially expected," said Mr. Kasa.

Golemi remains this year the most consolidated destination linked to the organized tourism segment, although individuals are weaker here as well.

Fatos Çerenishti, administrator of "FAFA Group", the structure with the largest accommodation capacity on this coast, but also among the largest in the country, says that despite May starting poorly, the season is expected to be good for Golemi.

"Based on the reservations we have in our structure, but also for Golem as a whole, I think this summer will be a little better than last year's summer."

So we will have increasing numbers.

"Despite the fact that the season started late, I think that July and August will make up for it, as will September, which has now become a month that is more considered summer than autumn, when it comes to summer tourism," says Mr. Çerenishti.

Basic problems are added to major problems, Golem remains without water

In April, tour operators were faced with the fact that there would be no flights from Vlora Airport, as promised, and contracts with prepaid guarantees would have to be renegotiated, leaving them with the costs of the changes.

As if this were not enough, the road infrastructure in some tourist areas is inadequate or substandard, while beach areas have been turned into construction sites.

This seems to have worsened the assessment of foreign agencies for Albania, putting the relationship with local operators in a difficult position.

"Many groups have come from the end of May onwards and to be honest their reviews have not been very good.

"The complaints were mostly about construction, but now recently water has also been added. I'm only talking about Golemi," said Mr. Kasa.

Due to the reconstruction of a node in the Manskuria reservoir that supplies water to the Golem area, the lake in this area has dried up. This has forced businesses to find solutions for water supply through boreholes or by drilling wells.

"A lot of good work has been done, but there is a lot to be done, starting from connections to airports, to roads that need to be brought to acceptable parameters, I am talking here about Tirana-Durres, or the secondary roads in Plepa-Golem."

Now, recently, the water problem in the Golem area has also been added due to the repair of the reservoir. If this continues for a long time, the lack of water will be our main concern this season.

"We have started to open wells and are working with their water, but it must be said that it is not very good water. A solution must be found for this with the help of all parties," says Mr. Çerenishti.

Poles remain the main organized group, but do not go beyond current contracts

Last year, despite advance bookings with guarantee contracts, Polish agencies increased demand for additional places even during the season. This year, it seems, the same pace has not been achieved.

Accommodation structures state that agencies are respecting their reservations and are regularly bringing charters.

"Foreign agencies, which have guarantee contracts, have brought organized groups according to prior reservations. They don't have as many requests for increased capacity as last year."

"We have contacts and from what we see, Albania remains a good destination that they are continuing to sell according to the plan they had, because the charters and rooms have been filled according to the calendar," said Mr. Çerenishti.

According to him, interest has increased from foreign French agencies, which are seeing Albania as an opportunity to enter with organized tours, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Another market that is growing steadily in the organized tourism segment is the Spanish one.

“The Spanish have some growth and it is a market that is moving slowly but steadily and that is a good thing.

"They are coming to hotels that are brands they know, as well as to other standard hotels that Durrës and Golem do not lack, but they have not found many spaces since the places were pre-purchased from other markets," said Mr. Kasa./ Monitor Magazine