An Evaluation of Albanian Adriatic Sea Cost Destinations to Better Understand Tourist Motivations and their Profiles

Albania offers spectacular natural beauty and a profound cultural inheritance, making it a booming destination for domestic and international tourists. This article examines and contrasts the tourism segments of three main coastal destinations in Albania: Vlora, Shkodër and Durrës. .It aims to identify differences in tourist typology based on travel motivation, travel behaviour, and key factors influencing the choice of destination. The research employs the methods of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and cluster analysis on a sample of 653 visitors who participated in a structured online survey conducted in Albanian (targeting visitors from Albanian-speaking countries) and came from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and the Republic of North Macedonia. Factor analysis suggests that there are mutual expectations of the quality of service and common motivational themes (leisure and cultural exploration) across the three countries. (It is evidenced that) Durrës has a cultural-social orientation, Vlorë emphasises nature, and Shkodër has a more complex and multidimensional motivational framework. Such findings suggest that tourism strategies should be tailored to accommodate the unique character of each place while maintaining consistent service quality. For all destinations, cluster analysis separates two major tourist segments: (1) high engagement as well as premium tourists who seek a wide range of experiences, and (2) low engagement and goal-oriented tourists with narrow preferences. The services offered by the coast remain the primary driver, despite the diverse characteristics of the destination. Dual-tier service models and targeted marketing strategies for experience- and efficiency-oriented tourists are brought out by the findings. The study reveals a structural contrast dichotomy between high and low levels of participation as a distinctive feature of Albanian coastal tourism.