April 20 (SeeNews) - The number of foreign nationals who visited Albania in the first quarter of the year rose by 7.1% year-on-year to 601,940, the statistical office, INSTAT, said on Thursday.
Visitors who entered Albania for the purpose of recreation represented 19% of all foreign nationals, or 114,858, INSTAT said.
By comparison, 53,394 foreign nationals visited Albania for recreational purposes in January-March 2016, or 9.5% of the total number of foreign visitors, INSTAT said citing data from the state police directorate.
Details on purpose of visit of foreign nationals to Albania follow:
|
Jan-March'17 |
Jan-March'16 |
Total foreign visitors to Albania |
601,940 |
561,948 |
Personal purpose |
589,827 |
550,674 |
- recreation, vacation |
114,858 |
53,394 |
- visiting relatives |
2,202 |
3,172 |
- one-day visits |
17,201 |
5,361 |
- medical treatment |
180 |
148 |
- religious purpose |
132 |
254 |
- other |
429,850 |
456,363 |
- transit |
25,404 |
31,982 |
Business and professional trips |
12,113 |
11,274 |
In March alone, Albania was visited by 243,462 foreign nationals, up 11.2% on the year. Out of the total, 66,589 came to Albania for recreational purpose.
The largest part of foreign citizens in March, or 33.4%, came from Kosovo, followed by Macedonia with 16.5% and Greece with 13.7%.
Most of the foreign visitors entered Albania by land - 80.7%; 15% arrived by air and 4.3% came by sea.