Tourism in Albania is characterized by the archaeological heritage from Greek, Roman and Ottoman times, unspoiled beaches, mountainous topography, delicious traditional Albanian cuisine, Cold War era artifacts, unique traditions and hospitality, and the wild and peculiar atmosphere of the countryside. Although still underdeveloped, tourism has seen an impressive increase in recent years. Lonely Planet ranked Albania as the no. 1 destination to be visited in 2011. Albania was ranked fourth in MSN Travel's 2012 Hottest Destinations. In addition, Albania was chosen as one of the top destinations for British tourists travelling during the 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee. In August 2011, American actress with Albanian origin Eliza Dushku visited Albania to film a promotional documentary on her father's country of origin with a crew from the Travel Channel and Lonely Planet. In fact, a watershed moment in tourism promotion was the publication of promotional videos on major global news channels.

Albania (ⁱ/ælˈbeɪniə/ al-BAY-nee-ə, Albanian: Shqipëri/Shqipëria; Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia), officially known as the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Republika e Shqipërisë pronounced Albanian pronunciation: [ɾɛpuˈblika ɛ ʃcipəˈɾiːs]), is a country in Southern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than 72 km (45 mi) from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.

Albania is a member of the UN, NATO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and one of the founding members of the Union for the Mediterranean. Albania has been a potential candidate for accession to the European Union since January 2003, and it formally applied for EU membership on 28 April 2009.