State of Culture in Albania 2025 · Municipal profiles · Artivista Center (Qendra Artivista)
This profile is based on information provided by the Municipality of Sarandë in reply to Artivista's request for information on culture (2026), the municipality's medium term budget plans (PBA), and INSTAT's 2023 Population and Housing Census. Amounts are in Albanian lek.
At a glance
| Region (qark) | Vlorë |
| Administrative units | 2: Sarandë, Ksamil |
| Area | 58.96 km² |
| Population, 2023 Census | 22,613 (about 384 residents per km²); 11.8% more than in 2011 |
| Residents aged 65 and over | 20.4% (national average 19.7%) |
| Culture and tourism promotion | 9.25 million lek planned and 8.15 million spent in 2020; 29.75 million planned and 22.0 million spent in 2025 |
| Cultural institutions | Cultural Centre and Multisport Club; Children's Cultural Centre |
| Staff | 37 to 38 |
| Public consultations | 5 a year |
| Income from culture | 138,000 to 151,000 lek a year |
Summary
Sarandë, the coastal city on the Ionian Sea facing Corfu, is one of the few municipalities in this series that grew: it had 22,613 residents in 2023, 12% more than in 2011. Culture and sport are run together by the Cultural Centre and Multisport Club and the Children's Cultural Centre, with 37 to 38 staff.
The municipality's budget for cultural and artistic projects, fairs and tourism promotion rose from 9.25 million lek in 2020 to 30 million lek in 2024, and between 60% and 99% was spent each year. The Cultural Centre itself spent 24 to 35 million lek a year, mostly on staff, organised 4 to 13 activities a year and earned about 140,000 to 150,000 lek a year.
The Children's Cultural Centre was rebuilt in 2023 with municipal funds, and the Youth Centre got a new multifunctional building in 2024 with state funds. Five public consultations on culture were held every year.
1. Governance and institutions
The Cultural Centre and Multisport Club and the Children's Cultural Centre support new talent, organise cultural events for official holidays and historical dates, run sports activities and hold artistic activities linked to cultural heritage. The Cultural Centre and Multisport Club had 28 staff in 2020 and 29 from 2021; the Children's Cultural Centre had 9.
2. Staff and funding
Planned and actual spending on cultural and artistic projects, fairs and tourism promotion was 9,250,000 and 8,150,000 lek in 2020, 14,060,000 and 8,512,000 lek in 2021, 19,060,000 and 18,824,000 lek in 2022, 20,500,000 and 17,315,000 lek in 2023, 30,000,000 and 28,149,000 lek in 2024, and 29,750,000 and 22,002,000 lek in 2025. Most of it went to tourism promotion; in 2025, for example, 15,563,000 lek went to tourism promotion, 5,766,000 lek to cultural and artistic activities and 673,000 lek to fairs.
The Cultural Centre and Multisport Club spent 24,300,000 lek in 2020, rising to 34,300,000 lek in 2025, of which 24,759,000 lek went to salaries. Its direct spending on cultural activities was between 500,000 and 2,500,000 lek a year. Its plan for 2023 is given as 430,000,000 lek, most likely a typing error in the reply. The Centre earned between 138,000 and 151,000 lek a year from its activities. The municipality's medium term budget plan 2026 - 2028 adds 80 to 130 million lek a year of investment to the culture and sport programme.
3. Cultural programme
The Cultural Centre organised 10 activities in 2020, 10 in 2021, 13 in 2022, 5 in 2023, 4 in 2024 and 6 in 2025. Cultural and artistic projects supported by the municipality reached between 3 and 19 beneficiaries a year.
4. Heritage
In 2023 the Children's Cultural Centre building was rebuilt with 3,869,000 lek from the municipal budget. In 2024 construction work on a multifunctional building at the Sarandë Youth Centre cost 5,358,000 lek from the state budget.
5. Planning and public participation
Five public consultations on culture were held every year from 2020 to 2025. The reply does not mention a culture strategy or plans for the coming years.
6. Culture across the municipality
Events take place in the municipal hall, on the boulevard, in the art gallery, in museums and at the Martyrs' Cemetery, and in 2022 and 2023 also at the sports stadium. The reply gives no information on activities in Ksamil.
Conclusions
- Sarandë's population grew, unlike most municipalities in the series.
- Spending on culture, fairs and tourism promotion rose about three times between 2020 and 2024, mostly for tourism promotion.
- Culture and sport share one institution and one budget programme.
- The Cultural Centre earns a small but steady income.
- Five public consultations on culture were held every year.
Recommendations
Separate culture from tourism promotion
Showing culture separately from tourism promotion and sport would make it clear how much goes to cultural life.
Correct the 2023 plan
Checking the 2023 plan figure for the Cultural Centre would remove a likely error.
A culture strategy
A strategy for a city with growing population and many visitors could set goals for culture all year round, not only in summer.
Include Ksamil
Planning some events in Ksamil would bring culture to residents and visitors outside the city centre.
About the data
Population figures come from the INSTAT 2023 Census. Budgets, activities, institutions, staff, heritage, consultations and income are as reported by the municipality in its reply (2026). Investment figures come from the municipality's medium term budget plan (PBA) 2026 - 2028.
Every effort has been made to base this analysis on the data provided by the municipality, complemented with data from its Medium Term Budget Programmes (PBA) published online. For comments or questions, please contact artivista@arti-vista.org.
This article was prepared within the CulturAL project, with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the National Centre for Community Services and Artivista Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
