The Castle of Gjirokastra is the most visited by tourists

 Castle of Gjirokastra, source

 Interest in tourist activities in Albania has manifested across all dimensions this year, ranging from adventure tourism to cultural and beach tourism.

The rapid increase in the number of foreign visitors, where 5.2 million foreign nationals entered Albania in the first 7 months according to INSTAT, indicates a historical record by the end of the year. Consequently, such figures also mean more visitors to cultural institutions in the country.

Official data from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment show a 67% increase in tourists visiting these institutions in June 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier. As a six-month period, the first half of 2023 marks a total increase of 53% in visitors to cultural institutions compared to the same six-month period of the previous year.

But what are the most visited castles, national parks, and archaeological parks in the country?

"During the month of June 2023, the number of visitors to cultural institutions has increased by 67% compared to 2022. The highest number of visitors is at Gjirokastër Castle, followed by Butrint National Park and Shkodra Archaeological Park.

Below, we provide a table comparing the visitor numbers of cultural institutions over the past two years. Regarding revenue from visitors to Cultural Institutions for this month, it appears that 98,181,240 Lek have been earned, a value that is 62% higher than the revenue of July 2022," says a summary from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, based on data collected from the Ministry of Culture.

Specifically, during the first six months of the year, Gjirokastër Castle has been visited by 50.6 thousand more visitors, more than double the number compared to the same period in 2022. Second in this category is the Amphitheater of Durrës with 9 thousand visitors and a 64% increase compared to the first half of 2022.

The third in terms of visitor numbers by June is Porto Palermo Castle.

In terms of institutions categorized as castles and other monuments, Butrint National Park receives the most attention.

In January-June, at least 37.2 thousand tourists visited this park, while among the Archaeological Parks, Shkodra Archaeological Park is at the forefront with at least 53 thousand visitors, a 30% increase in visitors in January-June 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier.