Euronews: Albania tops the world list for fastest tourism progress

Albania leads the countries with the fastest tourism progress in the world, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index, posting a 7% increase in its score over the past two years, Euronews reported.

The report particularly praises improvements in air-transport infrastructure and tourist services, while noting that Albania is offering a more affordable alternative for visitors, keeping the advantages that make it attractive to tourists.

While Japan took first place in the overall ranking, Albania was named the country with the greatest improvement in the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index.

The 2026 edition of the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) has just been published, with Europe dominating the top 10.

The index examines the factors and policies that enable sustainable, crisis-resilient development of the travel and tourism sector.

It covers broad areas such as air-transport infrastructure, price competitiveness and safety.

Within these areas, elements such as hotel prices, visa requirements, public-transport efficiency, the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites and how tourism is distributed across different zones are assessed.

While Japan took first place overall, Spain ranked third, followed by France in fourth, Germany in sixth, the United Kingdom in seventh, Switzerland in ninth and Italy in tenth.

“The Development Index shows that the conditions enabling travel and tourism development are at their strongest since the pandemic, with 92% of economies improved since 2024,” said Ramya Krishnaswamy, head of the Experience Economy, Travel and Tourism sector at the World Economic Forum.

“The next phase is not simply about attracting more visitors, but about creating greater value through investment in people, infrastructure and stronger cooperation between the public and private sectors, so that tourism brings long-term benefits to communities, businesses and destinations,” she added.

The report notes that Albania “has benefited from offering more affordable prices compared with neighbouring destinations, while at the same time delivering an attractive tourist experience”.

Albania’s score rose thanks to improvements in air-transport infrastructure and tourist services.

The countries with the fastest improvement in the index: Albania, Vietnam, Laos, Qatar, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Morocco, Nepal and Sri Lanka.