More than 360,000 foreign visitors were handled at the port of Saranda during last summer, as well as last spring and autumn, as the southern Albanian port registered a strong boost in its emerging cruise ship tourism.

The southern port recorded also a significant increase in handling vessels, mainly luxurious yachts during this period.

The Butrint archaeological park, a UNESCO World heritage site, Ksamil, Blue Eye spring, the Lekursi Castle, Mesopotam, and Gjirokaster Castle were the main attraction for tourists visiting Saranda.

Known as the gem of Albanian Riviera, the southernmost Albanian district of Saranda is a top destination in Albania during summer, offering tourists a combination of rocky and sandy beaches as well as cultural heritage attractions such as the Butrint UNESCO World Heritage site and the Blue Eye spring.

Saranda, known for its beautiful pure Ionian waters, has been earlier named as one of cheapest beach destinations in Europe.

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Referring to the official data of Durrës Port Authority, during this month, ferries on the Durrës-Bari/Ancona line and vice versa have brought over 42,530 passengers to our country while 16,500 travelers have chosen to sail by ferry to the ports of neighboring Italy.

There has been a significant increase in number of people especially during the last two weeks of December when thousands of compatriots came back to Albania for the New Year through the largest port in the country.

Same sources specify that the significant increase in passenger handling volumes is also reflected in comparison with the same period of the previous year when about 50,350 passengers sailed by ferry in total, thus showing an increase of about 8,670 more passengers during December 2022 .

Throughout this one-month period, the increase was also reflected in the number of vehicles, trailers and trucks handled at the Ferry Terminal, where there were approximately 13,475 vehicles and 6,950 trucks and trailers.

Meanwhile, the resumption of double ferry sailings has already been confirmed. It will be in function of the flow of passengers back, marking again an increase in the commitment of the operating agencies at the main border point of maritime transport in the country. /k.s/j.p/p.s./

According to the official data of Durrës Port Authority, in July of this year, ferries have performed 110 round-trip cruises with about 106 thousand passengers.

Since the beginning of the year, the ferries have been used by 238,438 passengers with a total of 68,168 vehicles.

In the 7- month period of 2021, ferries have performed 545 round trips. //a.i/