Albanians have significantly increased their travel, both domestically and internationally, throughout the year 2022.

This surge is notable for both personal and business trips, as revealed by the Tourism, Holidays, and Travel Institute’s survey. The findings shed light on some of the trends observed in the country during the past year, marking a return to normalcy after the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, individuals aged over 15 in Albania embarked on a total of 3,746,993 trips for personal or business purposes, either within or outside the country. The average duration of these trips was 5.1 nights. Personal trips constituted a significant 97.4% of all journeys, while business trips made up the remaining 2.6%. The peak periods for travel were concentrated in the months of August (14.6%), July (11.9%), December (11.7%), and June (11.1%).

Comparing the figures for 2022 with the previous year, there was an approximately 8.3% increase in travel, showcasing a distinctive rise in both personal and business trips outside Albania.

Trips outside Albania for leisure and free time purposes witnessed an impressive growth of around 12.5% in 2022 compared to 2021.

Analyzing the distribution of trips based on the duration of overnight stays, short trips (1-3 nights) within Albania accounted for a higher share (68.6%) than longer trips (4+ nights). Conversely, for trips made outside Albania, long-duration trips (68.2%) took up a larger portion.

When examining travel patterns by age group, individuals aged 25-34 emerged as the most frequent travelers in 2022. Further, the analysis of trips by gender revealed that within Albania, female travelers (50.3%) dominated, while outside Albania, male travelers (55.3%) were more prevalent.

Short-duration trips (1-3 nights) in Albania had the highest percentage for the age group 45-54, while long-duration trips (4+ nights) were more common among those aged 75 and above.

The most preferred destinations for personal or business trips within Albania were the cities of Tirana (17.4%), Vlora (15.2%), Korça (14.0%), and Durrës (11.2%). Outside Albania, popular destinations included Greece (5.2%), Italy (4.9%), and other countries like Spain and England (2.8%).

Examining types of accommodation, staying with relatives or friends was the most common choice in 2022, followed by hotels and rented accommodation. Notably, there was an increase in staying with relatives or friends by 5.2 percentage points.

Concerning transportation, about 3.33 million trips were undertaken via road transport, constituting 88.9% of all journeys in 2022. Air transport saw the highest increase, rising by 6.1 percentage points.