Integrated Cross-Sectorial Plan of Tirana-Durres Area

Guidelines for the development of urbannatural
tourism
• Tourism and development infrastructure
The provision of quality tourist infrastructure
is a prerequisite for attracting investment and
tourists in the region. The main components
of tourist infrastructure include road, rail,
airport access, low cost airfares, road
transport facilities, accommodation facilities
(hotels, motels, hostels, youth hostels, etc.),
restaurants, tour operators, attractive tourist
websites, tourist shops, etc. Regional / local
identity should be maintained when developing
supportive infrastructure with public or private
developers to help tourists find the local
experience in this region.
Local government structures should promote
the development of new tourism products
with appropriate infrastructure, such as
the establishment of centres of culture and
specialized education in potential locations;
construction of entertainment parks for
children; creating the necessary conditions in
favour of outdoor adventure (rock climbing,
mountain biking, sport fishing, parachuting,
water sports, outdoor walking, etc.). These
areas should be equipped with basic tourism
infrastructure such as: public toilets,
prohibition of crossing through risky spots,
information centres, fuel stations, police
stations, first aid centres, play areas, shelters,
telephone booths and parking areas along
the roads of the tourist destination. The local
government should mobilize the private
investments of the region, to build services and
tourism infrastructure.
In particular, information infrastructure needs
to be improved and built in road entries of
the regional tourist corridors and attractive
tourist poles; electricity and digital (ICT)
supply should be improved; public transport
in tourist poles should be improved; airport
services and low cost mobility should be
improved; new attractive poles based on
perennial tourism should be developed;
services should be improved with a view
to increasing the tourist stay in regional
destinations; non-elite-only hotel structures
should be developed, but also in the service
of young people based on youth tourist poles
supported by urban, rural and natural all-year
events. Local and regional government should
develop short and medium term strategies
to integrate various tourism typologies with
tourist packages, in order to attract certain
sectors of the global tourism market. The
regional tourism board, and regional or central
government tourism support departments
should prepare strategies and action plans
for regional tourism development. These
strategies should create synergies and
cooperation with the needs and conditions
of stakeholder development from the private
sector, conducting ongoing consultations on
infrastructural requirements and support to
specific regional destinations.
• Ensuring quality
It is imperative to set standards and quality
regime for operating structures such as
hotels, restaurants, tour operators, travel
agencies and other touristic service providers.
These standards have to be adopted on a
large scale, they should be presented with
interest groups in order to agree upon and
ensure quality, followed by a strong compliance
and monitoring regime. This standard and
certification regime should be linked to similar
international regimes, aiming to approximate
with the standards of European countries.
International certification will be very useful
for businesses, consumers, government,
local communities, and no less for the
environment. For business, this will help to
improve the quality of their services and unfair
competition, reducing operating costs and
providing an edge to long-term marketing
and branding strategies. In addition to
providing opportunities for economic benefits
to local communities, certification also
provides enhanced opportunities to respect
and promote local culture and tradition. For
governance, certification will raise industry
standards in areas such as health, safety, the
environment, social and economic stability, and
will lower the cost of support and regulatory
services.
• Creating a business environment for
investment
The success of tourism in the metropolitan
area is based on the synergy between the
public and private sector. Governance should
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