June 25 (SeeNews) - The number of foreign nationals who visited Albania in the first five months of 2019 rose 5.8% year-on-year to 1.51 million, the country's statistical office said on Tuesday.
Foreign nationals who visited Albania for the purpose of recreation in January-May numbered 1.4 million, up by 5.6%, INSTAT said in a statement.
The largest number of foreign visitors came from Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece, Montenegro and Italy. Visitors from Switzerland increased the most on an annual comparison basis in the first five months of 2019, by 28.4%.
In May alone, Albania was visited by 401.531 foreign nationals, up 1.7% year-on-year. Of the total, 376.181 came for recreational purposes, up 2.2% compared to May 2018.
In 2018, the total number of foreign visitors to Albania increased by 16%, reaching 5.9 million.