The Albanian Development Fund (ADF) in cooperation with the World Bank has started work on the development of the tourism product and market strategy for the south of Albania, focusing on the municipalities of Pėrmet, Saranda, Gjirokastra and Berat.
The project will serve to over 84,000 inhabitants and over 300,000 tourists.
On April 11, the ADF selected a consortium comprising Croatia's Horwath I Horwath Consulting Zagreb and Austria's Werner Bilgram to draft a tourism development strategy for the south of Albania.
The overall objective of the assignment is to conduct a market research for tourism development and to develop a strategy that will guide tourism market and product development in the southern part of the country.
The assignment is part of a project for integrated development of urban infrastructure and tourism activities focused on Albania's south and financed with the proceeds of a $71 million loan from the World Bank. The project aims to improve urban infrastructure, enhance tourism assets, and strengthen institutional capacity to support tourism-related local economic development in selected areas, the World Bank said earlier.
The project consists of four components: urban upgrading and infrastructure improvement, carrying out construction works to restore selected heritage buildings, upgrading public spaces, the road infrastructure network, and associated infrastructure, conducting construction supervision.
Currently, work has started in the city of Saranda where the city stairways are being restored and in Berat with the rehabilitation of the pedestrian's road to the city castle and the viewpoint in the southern part of the castle. The project is being implemented by ADF, a public agency whose mission is to encourage a sustainable, balanced and cohesive socio-economic development at local and regional level. The ADF was established at the beginning of 1993, based on an agreement between the Albanian government and the World Bank.