Tourism for Landscape - The new Seman National Natural Reserve. Tourism and protected areas as possible combination for territorial development, protection and valorisation

Tourism plays a fundamental role in our society, economically, socially and environmentally. But how to relate tourism and heritage, for building a solid and productive relationship between this two elements? This paper explores the concept of sustainable tourism in order to apply it in the Albanian context, and tries to create a strong connection between the protected area system - for both natural and cultural heritage - and tourism - conceived as economic and social resource. The main objective is to show that the development of tourism in protected areas, not always causes destruction and exploitation, but that it can also start the development of strategic processes in specific territories. In its final part, this paper aims to define possible guidelines for the development of Seman region, based on tourism and its protected area. The methodology used, is the comparison of different experiences in the Adriatic-Ionian region, in order to find common features and analyze the management strategies and the adopted solutions. The Seman case is completely different from those, in terms of natural heritage, but the idea is to re-use the touristic approach in terms of management and structures on a territory, where tourism has never been introduced before. Focusing on the importance of international and national policies about protected areas, the paper ends with a paradox proposal for the valorization of Seman river basin through the creation of the Seman National Natural Reserve.