TIRANA, Aug 16 /ATA/ Durrës is maintaining strong tourist numbers during the 2026 summer season, with the city expected to welcome between 2 million and 2.5 million visitors by the end of the year.
Floreta Kërtusha, head of the tourism sector at Durrës Municipality, told ATA that this year’s season has exceeded expectations and initial forecasts, with visitor numbers rising significantly compared with 2025.
“This summer tourist season has also been successful, exceeding our expectations and forecasts and recording a significant increase compared with a year earlier. This year, we expect between 2 million and 2.5 million tourists to visit our city,” Kërtusha said.
According to Kërtusha, Durrës remains one of Albania’s leading tourist destinations, attracting visitors from across the region, Europe and other parts of the world. She highlighted the city’s 64-kilometre coastline and rich cultural heritage as two of its main assets.
“Durrës can now be described as the most attractive showcase along the entire Adriatic coastline,” Kërtusha said, highlighting the city’s combination of beaches, accommodation facilities, agritourism and a wide range of tourist activities.
Kërtusha noted that the growth of tourism has also changed the nature of investment in the city. While a decade ago demand was focused mainly on apartment construction, interest has now shifted towards hotel infrastructure.
“This clearly shows that tourism is a safe sector to invest in and one that continues to grow,” she said.
The strong tourist flow has also been reflected in visits to archaeological sites. A total of 30,604 visitors were recorded at Durrës’ archaeological sites between January and July 2026.
According to Kërtusha, the city is consolidating its position not only as a summer destination but also as a gateway to a more diverse tourism offering, including culinary experiences, wineries, adventure tourism, sailing, and natural trails for hiking and cycling.
To cope with the increased flow of tourists during the summer season, Durrës Municipality has introduced a series of measures to clean, maintain and secure public spaces and coastal areas.
The Durrës Municipal and Beach Enterprise has stepped up cleaning operations along the coastline and in public spaces, with seaweed removed daily, beaches and squares cleaned twice a day, and municipal waste collected three times a day.
The measures also include regular disinfection of beach sand, the cleaning and disinfection of waste bins and collection points, the installation of additional bins and containers, camera surveillance of hotspots, and checks to prevent illegal dumping.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Police has stepped up monitoring in tourist areas, including the Ura e Dajlanit–Plepa, Plepa–Përroi i Agait and Currila–Porto-Romano routes, as well as the “Rinia” sector, Hamallaj and Lalëz Bay.
The focus is on cleanliness, public safety, compliance with beach station regulations, the use of public spaces, road traffic and enforcement of local regulations.
Beyond tourism, Durrës has expanded its offering this summer with a broad calendar of cultural and artistic events.
Throughout June and July, the city hosted one-day and multi-day events, festivals, exhibitions and concerts, featuring music, culture, heritage, art and activities for children.
Events included “The Festival Bridges,” Marefest, the Chamber Music Festival, Balkan Folk Evenings, VALA FEST, “Seasons of Music” and a concert by the String Orchestra.
August is also packed with a diverse programme of cultural and entertainment events, including exhibitions, poetry evenings, artistic projections and concerts, alongside Folk Fest, “Twinkle on Tour”, the 2026 Marathon, “Seasons of Music” and the Friendship Festival. The programme also features the “Fshati N’fest”, WOFA and Yldiz folklore events, as well as the “Adriatic Tavern” gastronomic event.
According to Kërtusha, the main challenge for Durrës Municipality is to transform the city from a predominantly summer destination into a year-round tourism destination.
She stressed that the city’s tourism potential extends beyond its beaches and coastline, highlighting its rich historical and archaeological heritage, including the Amphitheatre, the City Walls, the Byzantine Forum, the Venetian Tower, the Ancient Roman Baths, the Basilica of Arapaj, Skanderbeg’s fortification at Cape Rodon and Ishëm Castle.
“Our objective is to revitalise our cultural heritage, which will have a positive impact on the development of year-round tourism, our main goal and vision for promoting the city through culture,” she said.
To this end, the municipality aims to promote nature, sports, culinary, cultural and historical tourism, while supporting businesses operating in the sector and encouraging the development of new tourism products.
Another priority is the development of agritourism in Ishëm, Manzë and Rrashbull, with a focus on promoting local products including wine, raki, olives and olive oil, honey, medicinal herbs and seafood.
“Durrës is the capital of tourism, but we are also working to establish it as a major national and international hub for artistic, cultural and sporting events,” Kërtusha said.
According to Kërtusha, the municipality’s participation in national and international fairs is aimed at promoting the tourism and gastronomic potential of the city and surrounding areas, while the growth of small family-run wineries and agritourism businesses is fostering a new community of producers and creating jobs in rural areas.
The long-term goal is to diversify the tourism offering and promote Durrës as an attractive and sustainable year-round destination, combining its coastline, history, culture, nature, sports, gastronomy and local traditions.
/sm/
