Ecotourism and Rural Sustainable Development, Albania Case, Blezënckë Village

Ecotourism and rural sustainable development are concepts related to the tourism and are very vibrant forms of it, with clear benefits to the actors involved, to visitors, and to the local people. Rural areas offer their activity in the ecological and rural diversity, relying strongly on nature, which seems more abundant in the past. Albanian context shows two important periods of the rural development, the first during the socialist period (totalitarian regime) and the other during the long transition after 1990s with the falling of the regime. Lately, major changes in technology, cultural, political, or economic aspects, have brought a profound transformation in rural processes related to the production. The political transformation in Albania brought the increasing phenomenon of migration, which affected strongly the demographic shrinkage of the rural area, affecting the rural development. Lack of awareness, policies, and the absence of formalized planning or intervention to the rural areas, have left the possibilities for the rural community in Blezënckë to benefit from tourism development. Rural sustainable development of Albanian local communities should rely on the ecotourism and rural tourism, being a must for the contemporary rural evolution. The rural processes include a lot of natural and cultural local resources integrated with the tourist activity, evidencing its complexity and interaction with the environment and other sectors of the economy. For rural areas, the fast steps of changes have brought with it different opportunities and favorable challenges. The aim of this research is to analyze the existing relationship between rural development, tourism, and ecotourism, challenging the need for sustainable development and the preservations of the local traditions. This also rushes the economic transformation, switching from agriculture to manufacturing and services, improves welfare to farmer, and promotes an environmental conservation in rural areas.