Flash News

Suspect in Velipoja massacre escapes, police searching for Hasan Ferracak

Check out the weather forecast for today.

The full decision of the Constitutional Court on the Veliaj case is revealed

Mexico's World Cup qualification celebrations turn into tragedy, three fans lose their lives

SPAK requested prison, GJKKO declares Majlinda Bufin innocent

E-TJERA

Tourism's contribution to the economy increases significantly from 2019, but only 18 thousand jobs were added

Politiko 2025-05-16 08:33:04

Tourism's contribution to the economy increases significantly from 2019,

The travel and tourism sector in Albania is on a strong growth trajectory, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. According to the latest report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism is expected to contribute 685.3 billion lek (about 7.3 billion USD) to the Albanian economy during 2025 – an increase of 52.8% compared to 2019.

The sector now represents 26.4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), up from 20.6% in 2019 ($4.6 billion). The data shows that tourism has grown much faster than the economy, expanding by 52.8% since 2019, compared to a 3.6% change for the entire economy over the same period.

"With over 80% of tourism spending coming from international visitors and over 90% of trips being made for leisure purposes, Albania is increasingly emerging as an important tourist destination in Europe ," the report notes.

Although growth relative to the size of the economy is strong, the effect on employment is not as high. In 2019, travel and tourism contributed to the creation of 250.8 thousand jobs, or 19.9% ​​of the total. In 2024, this sector generated 269.2 thousand jobs, or only 18 thousand additional jobs, accounting for 20.4% of the total.

For 2025, the contribution of tourism is expected to be at the same levels, 26.4% of GDP ($7.3 billion), while the number of jobs is expected to increase to 274 thousand, or 21% of the total.

The weight in the economy is expected to slow down in the coming decade

While tourism in the country is at its best, WTTC expects it to slow down in the next decade, relative to the size of the economy. By 2035, the contribution of tourism and travel to the economy is expected to fall to 23.9% of GDP ($8.6 billion), while an additional 30,000 jobs are expected to be added (26% of the total).

WTTC is the only one that provides an assessment of the impact of the travel and tourism sector on gross domestic product, while INSTAT does not report this sector as a whole, but only provides an assessment of "accommodation and food services", which has reached around 4% of GDP by the end of 2023./ Monitor

Latest news