Increased Number of Visitors to Butrint Raises New Challenges

TIRANA, August 22

So far, Butrint National Park, the main tourist attraction in Southern Albania and at the same time one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country, has been visited by a huge number of Albanian and international tourists. This park welcomes visitors all year-round, but their number increases significantly during the summer season. Besides the park area, this site includes the bird observatory, Ali Pasha Castle, Vivari Strait, and the Venetian Triangular Castle. However, according to chair of the park Gjergji Mano, the coordination of all those assets with the archaeological area remains the main challenge.
“For the third year in a row, we have reached an amount of incomes over Euro 600,000. We had a budget of Euro 1 million, which was used for several projects that we wanted to put on visitors’ service,” Mano said.
On the other hand, the lack of protection for the natural habitat around the park caused serious damage to the species of birds and animals that live in the area. This is a major concern for the site. But according to the team that manages Butrint National Park, the adoption of a long-term plan on contemporary management would help to orientate the park toward sustainable development as a key tourist destination.
“There is much to be done in order to improve the site for its visitors,” Mano concluded.

News Source: TCh