In 2026, Albania has increased the area of its public beaches by over 300,000 square meters, marking a growth of over 10 percent on an annual basis, ATA reported, citing a statement by Albanian Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Blendi Gonxha, BTA reported.
According to Gonxha, during the current summer season, the area of public beach areas in Albania has reached 3.18 million square meters, which represents an increase of 10.5 percent (or just over 303 thousand square meters) compared to last year, when it was 2.88 million square meters.
During the same period, the number of plots used for public beaches has increased by 67 percent - from 1014 to a total of 1689. The expansion of the area of public beaches is also contributed by the return to state management of a total of 665 plots with a total area of nearly 768,000 square meters, which were previously managed by private individuals, the minister added.
Gondza also noted that this season, for the first time, Albania has provided 124 municipal beaches with a total area of about 475,000 square meters for direct administration by local authorities. The largest share of this area, about 316,000 square meters, goes to the municipality of Durres, followed by the municipalities of Lezhë (75,000 sq. m), Himara (51,000 sq. m), Vlorë (21,000 sq. m) and Shkodra (13,000 sq. m).