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Drafting of the Strategic Plan for Tourism Development was accomplished through an open and transparent process, which involved the commune staff, commune council representatives, heads of villages, stakeholders’ focus groups, representatives of business community, citizens, experts of various areas, archeologists, urban planners, historians, and representatives of Vlora Region.
Albanian Development Fund (ADF) has funded drafting of the SPTD in the frame of Community Works Project III, while the Urban Research Institute in Tirana has drafted it.
The leading philosophy of Qender Commune in this initiative consists in the adoption of the tourism sustainable development approach by paying attention to environment protection.
The approach, which will lead to the management of all resources in such a way that economic, social and esthetic needs will be met, while the cultural integrity and ecological process are maintained is applied when drafting the strategic plan for tourism development of Qender Commune.
Tourism is considered as the main option with regard to the economic development of our commune, despite the fact that there is an evident lack of a number of aspects that would turn it immediately into a useful asset.
Strategic planning relies on the following:
- Large participation:
- The commune has ensured a large participation and it has established the Committee of Drafting the Strategic Plan for Tourism Development, which carried out the organization of activities for drafting the plan and for its implementation.
- Situation analysis and drafting of the tourist and economic profile of the commune.
- SWOT analysis to analyze the internal and external factors regarding development of tourism by means of determining the potential, the strongest points and the real opportunities on one hand and, the weak points and risks, which threaten tourism development, on the other.
- The vision, defining of purpose and goals, as well as, prescribing of the direction and assuring of the commitment of all commune stakeholders.
- Action plan, which specifies the major projects and makes a clear distinction of tourism products and primary places that bear the essential potential with regard to tourism development including financial resources evaluation.
SPTD drafting process
1. Ensuring of local involvement, establishment of the Committee of Drafting the Strategic Plan for Tourism Development
2. Consultation with stakeholders
3. Starting of the work to draft the SPTD
4. Conducting of SWOT analysis
5. Information collection
6. Final Stage, the SPTD Document
The Commune Working Group incorporated all comments, which came out of the presentation meeting with the ADF, thus giving the final shape to the document of the Strategic Plan for Tourism Development of Qender Commune of Vlora.
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