Council of Europe Development Bank and the Albanian government will sign a EUR 1 ml agreement for the improvement of infrastructure and for the compilation of a marketing strategy for high potential tourism areas in northern Albania.
Sources from the government say the Albanian Alps are considered as a tourism zone of high importance, taking in consideration the rapid development of the tourism sector in the area and the increase of tourists in years. In 2006, the number of tourists that visited the Albanian Alps was only 300 while in 2015 this figure is 25 times higher.
The EUR 1 ml fund will go for showcasing the tourism potential of the areas (national parks, mountains, lakes, remote villages, ect.) through the compilation of local plans in order to identify the needs for the improvement of infrastructure and the most attractive manners to display the potential of these areas.
Such investment in Shkodra and Kukes regions will also improve the life of thousands of locals which main revenues come from the agriculture and tourism sectors. With the rapid development of tourism which found unprepared these northern regions in terms of tourism infrastructure (when it comes to hotels, restaurants, hostels and guesthouses), most of the locals have provided shelter and food for tourists. All of the guesthouses in Valbona Valley and Theth National Parks are old traditional houses of locals which have transformed into ‘temporary shelters’ for tourists. Locals also sell local food to tourists, mostly during the summer season.
The fund provided by Council of Europe Development Bank will boost the development of remote northern areas and provide more employment opportunities for locals, which will bring more revenues for their families and increase the life standard in these areas.
News source/photo credits: Scan TV
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