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The first EDP activity for the tourism sector, identified as one of the priority domains for the country’s smart specialization during the mapping process in 2021, was held by Future Center on 3 November 2022. Particularly, among the four key pillars of the tourism sector in Albania, this activity was dedicated to evaluating the current situation and future prospects of the agritourism sector.
Activities and Output
To kick off the event, a presentation was given on the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process , the role that it will play in preparing the country’s smart specialization strategy, key objectives that have been achieved thus far, and last but not least, the part that the quadruple helix actors will play in defining the strategy through this process.
The second session of the event consisted of an open conversation in which attendees shared their thoughts on the development of the Albanian agritourism sector to date, analyzed its strengths and limitations, and identified the most important challenges and opportunities attributed to this sector. Particularly highlighted during the discussions was the fact that, despite the sector’s phenomenal growth in recent years—largely as a result of highly effective government policies—a large number of variables threaten to jeopardize the sustainability of the Albanian agritourism sector in the medium to long term. In particular, the two key concerns highlighted by the quadruple helix actors were 1) the lack of people, which is regarded as a worry for every sector whose economic activity is predominately cantered in rural areas, and 2) the absence of an in-depth analysis for the Albanian agritourism industry.
During the third session of the activity, the quadruple helix actors were given the opportunity to voice their thoughts on the governmental policies that should be incorporated into the smart specialization strategy. The measures proposed can be broken down into four main categories: (1) enhancing the quality of life in rural areas; (2) modifying government programs that have an impact on the success of this industry; (3) bolstering the role of academia; and (4) introducing a set of measures that encourages the private sector to adopt better business management practices.
Members of the Panel
Mr. Arben Shkodra: Secretary General of Albania Manufacturing Union (AMU), Member of the Inter-Institutional Working Group for the Smart Specialization Strategy and moderator of the event
Mrs. Matilda Naco: Executive Director of the Albanian Tourism Association (ATA)
Mr. Enio Civici: Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development
Mrs. Kornelia Ferizaj: Executive Director of the National Agency of Tourism
Event organizers
This activity was organized by Future Center in collaboration with Inter-Institution Working Group and Albanian Tourism Association (ATA), and the support of the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) and the POLICY ANSWERS Project (Horizon Europe GA 10105887).
Progress_Report_Agritourism.pdf
