MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN

Annexe 2
Etudes de cas
Case studies
2.12 Saranda-Butrinti Coastal Area * - ALBANIA
Geographical framework
The area concerns the extreme southern part of the Albanian coastline. The city of
Saranda is the upper limit with the rest of the Ionian Albanian coast. To the South,
there is the border with Greece, in short distance in front of (West) rises the Corfu
Island (Greece). To the East, hill cordons divide the coastal area from the internal
region.
Attractivity factors
The area has a big potentiality for the development of tourism because of its rich
natural resources and cultural heritage. In a relatively small geographical area
there exist many different attractive sites such as:
1. The Cape Stillo and the Island;
2. The wetlands of Pavllo River;
3. The more than 2000 years old villages of Mursia and Xara;
4. Ali Pasha’s fort (XVIIIth century);
5. Butrinti Lake and its watershed;
6. The landscape, the islands and the beaches of Ksamili;
7. The monasteries of Saranda and Ksamili;
8. The archaeological site of Butrinti.
Main parties
Actually, foreign investors are “pushing” to get permissions from the government to
start investments for building hotels, touristic villages and infrastructure. This
pressure brought about several decisions for the construction of structures that are
not conform to the Strategy for the Development of Tourism.
On the other hand, the authorities are concerned that the development projects in
the area under question need to be based in the economic development of the
region. Considering the actual potentiality of the private sector, the lack of an
organised industry of tourism and institutional capabilities, the trend should be
towards small, well-organised projects, financed by banks, which may serve as
catalysts for larger future investments.
Example of the village of Ksamili: the main actor in the development of tourism
has always been the local population (renting rooms or complete houses to seasonal
tourists). Actually this area, like many other areas in the region, is subject to
massive depopulation due to emigration in Greece and Italy. In order to make the
area attractive for tourism as soon as possible, a good strategy in short term could
be to try to involve the local population in close relation with the local and central
public authorities, for the promotion of tourism as a profitable economic activity
which, on the other hand, respects the principles of the environmental protection
and the Strategy for the Tourism Development.
* Author: Ms Keti Lelo, National Environment Agency, Tirana, Albania.
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