Folks bitten by the travel bug are running into a major problem this year: Travelling is freakin’ expensive! That’s why more tourists are increasingly shifting to under-the-radar destinations.
Driving the news: With affordable rates and beautiful beaches, Albania more than doubled airline passenger arrivals this June compared to last year and saw overnight stays by foreigners increase in the first quarter by a staggering 152% from the same time in 2019.
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni headed to Albania for a part of her summer vacation this year, highlighting how the nation is drawing in even high-profile tourists.
Zoom out: Other hotspots emerging for Western travellers, in part due to their affordability, include Turkey and Croatia, both of which are smashing tourism records this summer.
Why it matters: Anyone who has recently visited France or Italy (full disclosure: this author) knows it’s not cheap. Perhaps that’s a blessing in disguise—by finding cheaper destinations, we can expand our travelling horizons. Who needs another Instagram in Positano, anyway?
Yes, but: With tourists flocking to thrifty locales like seagulls to a breadcrumb pile, high demand could mean these destinations might only stay cheap for a little while longer.
- In Turkey, prices for hotels and restaurants were up 83% this July in lira terms from the same time last year.
- The Croatian city of Dubrovnik implemented a cruise ship tax in 2021, in addition to its already existing visitor tax, to generate more revenue from increased traffic.
Bottom line: Wherever you decide to go, don’t brag about it too much at the office.—QH