Albania is making efforts to extend tourism throughout the year, but again in the summer months the highest concentration of tourists, unlike other European countries, where hotels are busy with work almost all year round.
Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and Montenegro have been ranked by Eurostat among the countries with the highest tourist seasonality in Europe.
In total, about a third of tourist nights in Europe are spent in July and August, according to Eurostat. While in Albania, this share reached about 46%, according to the processing of Monitor, based on Eurostat statistics, the third after Croatia (59%) and Bulgaria (48%), leaving behind Greece (43%).
In total, about 3.83 million overnight stays were recorded in Albania in 2022, with an increase of 20% compared to the previous year. The improvement took place in the first part of the year, while in August overnight stays fell by 2.5%, after an improvement in September and October, again November and December had a downward trend.
In the first two months of 2023, the number of overnight stays increased by 3.6%.
Europe; More than a third of tourist nights are spent in July and August
According to Eurostat, seasonality has always had a substantial impact on tourism, evident in the patterns of tourist arrivals and nights spent in EU hotels and tourist resorts.
During peak holiday periods, tourist areas can face overcrowding and dwindling resources. Conversely, quieter periods can cause unused facilities and labor instability due to fluctuations in demand.
In 2022, the traditional seasonal pattern was observed, with most nights spent recorded in August (18% of nights spent in 2022; 478 million nights), followed by July (16%; 440 million). In contrast, the proportion of nights spent was lowest in January (3%; 89 million), followed by February (4%; 111 million).
A significant share of arrivals was also recorded in July and August (each month 14% of total arrivals in 2022; 127 and 128 million arrivals respectively). The correlation between arrivals and nights spent during these peak months should be mentioned.
The peak in overnight stays is greater than the peak in arrivals, suggesting that tourists tend to stay longer in these busy months, which correspond to the main holiday period. This trend increases the demand for accommodation during the summer season.
The peak months for overnight stays were July and August in all EU countries in 2022. The seasonal pattern was most pronounced in Croatia (59% of overnight stays in 2022), Bulgaria (48%) and Greece (43%).
Meanwhile, the seasonal pattern was less pronounced in Malta and Finland (both 25%) and Germany (26%)./Monitor