spot_img
27.8 C
Philippines
Monday, February 17, 2025

Harnessing the potential of agritourism in the countryside

First of Two Parts

The untamed river valleys and the breathtaking atmosphere of the Vjosa Wild River National Park attracts wilderness enthusiasts and adventurers alike into Albania every year.

- Advertisement -

And in this national park, near the Bënja thermal baths, is where the Lile family farm and restaurant sits. Along with accommodations and Albanian and Greek cuisine, the Liles’ family business offers wine, gliko (a traditional fruit preserve) and raki, a distilled liquor that is popular in the Balkans and the southern Mediterranean.

In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Albania more than doubled, from 4 million in 2016 to 8.4 million in January-October 2023. This significant boom in tourism has led to a high demand in quality local food and related services.

This presents a great opportunity for family-run agritourism businesses to increase their capacity to meet the growing demands. Albania has recognized that fostering the agritourism sector can create new market opportunities and boost rural development.

Agritourism is a great example of a systems approach that brings together many interrelated sectors: agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, marketing, food, culture and local economies. Addressing these as a whole allows countries to see key blockages to change as well as emerging opportunities for growth.

In 2022, to support the Albanian government in this quest, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) implemented the Sustainable Food Systems in the Mediterranean (SFS-MED) project, funded by the government of Italy. (To be continue) FAO News

LATEST NEWS

Popular Articles