Landscapes and tradition

The sheer beauty of the Prespa landscapes is enough to draw visitors. Versatile cultural and traditional elements, valuable ecological sites, good food, picturesque villages and historical layers of Byzantine and Ottoman monuments are spread across the basin. Therefore the promotion of tourism seems to be essential for the economic development of the area and the preservation of its historical, cultural and ecological identity.

However, uncontrolled tourism may aggravate stress on ecosystems and unequal distribution of income opportunities, so a planned basin-wide approach addresses the tourism-related infrastructure - roads, water supply and sewage, as well as coordinated, nature-based planning and marketing.

Facts and figures

Visitors come to Prespa at all seasons. The main tourist period lasts from June to September with a peak in July and August, while in Greece winter season is also very busy. Domestic guests dominate the Prespa tourism market in all three countries, with less than five percent of foreign tourists.

Local experts estimate the current capacity for tourists in Albania at 75 beds, in Greece 300 beds, and FYR of Macedonia 7,200 beds. Tourism is actually on the rise in both Greece and Albania, while FYR of Macedonia has lost 50% of its clients (also due to external causes).

Tourism is expected to increase over the next 20 years, calling for the development of communal and traffic infrastructure, and regional planning to encourage increased tourism. It requires the improvement of the wastewater and solid waste treatment which currently do not suffice even for the needs of the inhabitants.

Services offered in the Greek Prespa mainly relate to recreation and hotels and taverns. Estimates from year 2000 suggest an annual income of just under two million US dollars for accommodation and meals. During the last few years there was a steady increase in the tourist flow, together with signs of the inefficiency of the existing infrastructure.

Tourism has been given a prominent role in Albania’s development strategy, and Macro Prespa is considered one of the most important. However, this potential is unexploited due to the generally unfavourable economic situation and the lack of basic tourist infrastructure. Nevertheless, certain initiatives are directed to the Micro Prespa region in Albania too.

Challenges

The current state of tourist infrastructure presents an obstacle, in combination with the problems of other services in the area (telecommunications, drinking water etc.). The quality of the services offered calls for improvements too: boat trips, swimming, guided tours of historical monuments, insufficient number of nature observation points, small-scale conference facilities.

The lack of public investment in the conservation and restoration of tourist attractions - archaeological, historical, cultural and ecological – is aggravated by the insufficient information and promotion. The stresses on the environmental health take their toll on tourism too, like the challenged appeal of the lakes as swimming resort due to eutrophication and increased pollution.

The waste disposal problem in Prespa is important. The foreseen increase of visitors and changes in consumption patterns, request for good planning and the development of necessary infrastructure to accommodate future needs.

The way ahead

Large-scale or intensive development initiatives in any sector (intensive agriculture, manufacture, industry, mining, mass tourism etc.) are often incompatible with the preservation of the values of the area. Sustainable tourism, on the other hand, keeps a balance among the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development in order to guarantee long-term benefits to the recipient communities.

Sustainable tourism respects ecological limits within which human activities should remain, and recognizes the interdependence of economic and environmental systems to provide for long-term socio-economic benefits. It refers to a variety of activities supporting tourism, and entails ecotourism as an environmentally responsible travel to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features). Ecotourism promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Prespa Park contribution

The preparation of eco-tourism development plans should take full advantage of the valuable features of the entirety of Prespa Park, and should deal with each national section separately, while at the same time treating the region as a unitary tourism resource. This can be achieved by combining the advantages of each part with a view at a balanced distribution of the benefits.

Activities and initiatives supported by the Prespa Park Coordination Committee include a feasibility study on the tourist potential of the area with a view at developing sustainable tourist activities, and a pilot project of linked tourist products, integrated visitor infrastructure (roads, pathways, bird-watching sites), as well as a network of local tourist agencies and businesses. ♦