Sustainable Tourism Development in Albania

The importance of tourism in Albania is growing. Despite the various approaches adopted, elected governments of the past few years have recognized the potential that the tourism sector has to drive economic development. To this end, numerous strategies have been drafted both on a national and local level, most of which have been unsuccessful in operational terms. Brands such as “Albania: A New Mediterranean Love” and “Albania: Yours to Discover” have, on the one hand, fascinated and lured one- time visitors, as demonstrated by the increasing number of foreigners visiting the country. On the other hand, these branding strategies have further widened the shortcomings deriving from incomplete and unimplemented strategies, structural weaknesses, and sectoral policy failures. While there may not be a single one-size-fit-all approach for the development of sustainable tourism, shifting from a top-down to a bottom-up approach to tourism planning and management could be an adequate starting point, given the current conditions in Albania, as demonstrated in the applied case of the #EjaNeGramsh campaign.