The amount that Albania cashed in in the form of travel expenses from foreigners that visited the country in the first half of the year, was 156 million euros. This figure is confirmed by the central bank, according to which, the net balance of revenues from tourism in this period registered its highest value ever registered in the recent years. In other words, the net balance is the difference between the money that foreigners spend in Albania (the currency that they bring in the country) and the money that Albanians spend abroad. For the first 6 months of the year, foreigners spent 722 million euros, while Albanians spent 567 million euros abroad, thus generating a positive difference of 156 million euros.
Let us recall that until 2014, this difference was negative, because Albanians spent abroad more than foreigners spent in Albania. But it seems that in the past two years, things have changed and although Albanians spent more money abroad, the amounts that foreigners spent here have increased at a faster rate. According to the Bank of Albania, during the second quarter of 2017, the domestic economy cashed in 421 million euros from tourism, while the annual growth of revenues was affected by a rise of 10% in the number of foreign visitors in the country.
