According to the European Statistical Office, Albanian tourism dropped 50% between January and September, compared to the same period in 2019. The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in Albania fell from 2.8 million in 2019, to just 1.4 million, being in line with the trend seen also in the European Union, where the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation fell from 2.4 billion in 2019, in 1.2 billion in 2020. The largest contraction of numbers in Albania was recorded in April, where the number of overnight stays was zero, considering the full lockdown that was in place during that period in the country, while March was also a disastrous month. Although the figures improved after the national lockdown was over, the travel limitations between Albania and other countries continued to be a burden for the tourism industry. During the summer, Albania saw a decline of 58% in the number of overnight stays among non-resident individuals, which was the lowest in the region. In the third quarter of 2020, the number of resident individuals staying overnight in tourist accommodation in Albania fell with only 5% comparing to 2019.
In the Balkans, the worst-performing country in tourism is North Macedonia, with a fell of 65% of the total number of nights spent in tourist accommodation from January to September. The non-resident overnight stays in North Macedonia fell by 90% compared to 2019 during the summer months. In the EU the Mediterranean countries such as Malta, Greece, Spain, or Portugal, were among the countries that suffered more the effects of the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, according to the World Tourism Barometer from the United Nations, international tourist arrivals dropped by 65% during the first half of the year worldwide. A total of 440 million international arrivals were lost between January and June this year, with Asia and the Pacific being the hardest-hit region with72% less tourists than 2019.
