European tourists spent an average of 93 euros per person per night during their overseas journeys in 2021, according to data released by Eurostat.
While Albania experienced an increase in foreign tourist arrivals this year, it’s interesting to note which nationalities tend to be the biggest spenders during their trips abroad.
Austrian travelers were the most generous spenders, with an average expenditure of around 136 euros per night on their foreign trips in 2021. They were followed by Maltese tourists, who spent 129 euros per night, Swedes at 128 euros, French at 121 euros, Danes at 113 euros, and Norwegians at 108 euros.
Interestingly, it appears that Albania is not primarily attracting wealthier tourists, but rather those with more budget-conscious travel habits.
Among the tourists who chose to visit Albania this year, Polish visitors had one of the lowest average spending rates at 52 euros per night for their trips abroad. Italian tourists, often characterized as budget-conscious travelers by Albanian tour operators, spent an average of 73 euros per night, which is 21% below the European average.
Italian tourists ranked second in terms of the number of foreign nationals entering Albania, following those from Kosovo, accounting for approximately 9% of the total.
Macedonian tourists, the third-largest group in terms of arrivals after Kosovo and Italy, had an average expenditure of 43 euros per night for their foreign trips, making them some of the lowest spenders in Europe. Greeks also exhibited frugality, with an expenditure of 59 euros per person.
For Albanians traveling abroad, data from 2020 shows an average spending of less than 30 euros per trip.
European travel expenditure overview
Eurostat reports that Europeans spent an average of 330 euros per person per tourist trip. When categorized by destination, they spent an average of 244 euros on domestic trips and 806 euros on international journeys.
The average spending per night amounted to 67 euros, with 58 euros spent on average for each domestic night and 93 euros spent on average for each night spent abroad.
In 2021, EU residents collectively spent around 288 billion euros on tourist trips. Of this total, 62% was allocated to domestic travel (domestic tourism), while the remaining 38% was spent on international travel (international tourism). Nevertheless, domestic trips accounted for a significantly larger share of the total number of trips (85%), with international trips comprising the remaining 15%.
In fifteen out of the 27 EU countries, residents spent more than half of their tourism expenditures in 2021 on domestic trips. The highest percentage of domestic spending was observed in Greece (88%), followed by Bulgaria (87%), Romania (84%), Spain (83%), France, Portugal (both at 82%), and Italy (81%).
For other countries, the majority of tourism spending occurred in foreign destinations. Residents of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Malta, for instance, spent over 70% of their total tourism expenses on foreign trips.
Notably, tourists under 45 years old tended to spend less. On average, tourists in this age group spent 306 euros per trip, while younger individuals (15-24 years old) spent even less, at 261 euros. In contrast, the older age groups (45-54 years and above) spent an average of 351 euros per trip, with tourists aged 45 to 54 being the highest spenders at 355 euros.
Trips for vacations, leisure, and recreation accounted for the largest portion of tourism spending in 2021, making up 66% of the total.
Visits to relatives and friends made up only 19% of all tourist expenditures, although they represented 38% of all tourist trips, often featuring free accommodation arrangements.
A typical visit to relatives and friends cost just over half the average spending on personal trips (163 euros compared to 319 euros).
