At a glance
- Guests in Albanian accommodation establishments rose 15.2% year on year in July 2026, according to INSTAT data released on 17 September.
- Non-resident guests rose 18.3% to 622,660, while resident guests rose 6.4%.
- About three in four non-resident guests (478,083) stayed in coastal areas, where their number grew faster than inland.
- Hotel room occupancy averaged 55.3%, up from 52.9% in July 2025. INSTAT does not give occupancy by area.
- Kosovo (18%), Italy (13%) and Poland (11%) were the largest sources of non-resident guests.
Accommodation establishments in Albania hosted 15.2% more guests in July 2026 than a year earlier, according to figures from INSTAT's monthly accommodation survey released on 17 September.
Most of the growth came from abroad. Non-resident guests rose 18.3% to 622,660, from 526,302 in July 2025, while guests resident in Albania rose 6.4% to 193,903. The number of nights spent grew 14.0% overall, with non-resident nights up 17.3% and resident nights up 4.4%.
Where foreign guests stayed
INSTAT's breakdown by location shows how much of the foreign demand is on the coast. About 77% of non-resident guests in July stayed in coastal areas, which INSTAT defines as municipalities on the coastline or lying mostly within 10 km of it, and their number grew much faster there than inland.
| Non-resident guests | July 2025 | July 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal areas | 392,704 | 478,083 | +21.7% |
| Non-coastal areas | 133,598 | 144,577 | +8.2% |
| Northern region | 157,624 | 202,785 | +28.7% |
| Central region | 184,894 | 202,065 | +9.3% |
| Southern region | 183,784 | 217,810 | +18.5% |
| All non-resident guests | 526,302 | 622,660 | +18.3% |
Changes are our calculation from INSTAT's table. In INSTAT's regions, the north includes the counties of Durrës and Shkodër, the centre covers Tirana and Elbasan, and the south covers Vlora, Fier, Berat, Gjirokastër and Korça.
What the occupancy rate shows
Hotel room occupancy averaged 55.3% in July, 2.4 percentage points higher than the 52.9% recorded a year earlier. This is a national figure for hotels and similar establishments, covering Tirana and inland towns as well as the coast, and INSTAT's release does not break it down by area. It therefore says little about how full beach resorts were at the peak of the season. The survey also covers registered establishments only.
Where guests came from
Among non-resident guests, 18% were from Kosovo, 13% from Italy, 11% from Poland, 7% from France and 6% from Germany. The remaining 45% came from other countries. The release does not give the equivalent shares for July 2025.
The accommodation figures sit alongside INSTAT's border data, which showed foreign arrivals growing 2.0% in August (see our report on January–August arrivals).
Sources
- INSTAT: Accommodation establishments, July 2026, 2026-09-17
- INSTAT: Accommodation establishments, July 2026 (PDF), 2026-09-17