At the opening ceremony of the ITB Berlin 2025 tourism fair, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama highlighted the significant growth in tourism to Albania, especially from Germany. Rama announced that in 2024, Albania welcomed 400,000 German tourists, a notable increase compared to previous years.
“Last year, Albania received 12 million tourists, and the figures for January and February this year have already broken records,” Rama said. Reflecting on his tenure since 2013, he pointed out the remarkable growth in tourism, with the number of visitors rising from 2 million in the early 1990s to 12 million in recent years.
He also celebrated the increase in German tourists visiting Albania, noting that only a few years ago, the number of Germans visiting Albania was around 100,000, whereas in 2024, the number reached 400,000. Rama emphasized that Germany remains one of the best sources of tourism for the country.
“When people think of Germans, they first think of them as hard workers. But in reality, Germans are also among the top tourists worldwide. They spend more days on vacation than others, and we love them because they enjoy beer, great food, and visit us often,” Rama said.
He also praised Albania’s historic hospitality, particularly during World War II, when Albania protected its Jewish friends, becoming the only European country to have more Jews after the war than before. Rama underscored the deep-rooted Albanian tradition of hospitality, which he described as being part of the national identity, or Albanity, a term that represents the country’s commitment to honoring guests and home.
“Albania has always been a country of Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and Catholics, and when faced with the choice between Jews and the devil, our ancestors stood firmly by the Jews, risking their lives and refusing to surrender even a single soul to the Nazis,” Rama concluded.
