UNWTO partner for the year of Sustainable tourism First Conference, Building Public-Private Partnerships For Sustainable Tourism Development

The conference organized under the promotion of UNWTO during the year of Sustainable Tourism gathered a variety of public and private actor representatives to discuss the opportunities and challenges in relation to sustainable tourism, in Albania and the region.
The conference aimed to address the emergent need for starting a sustainable and long-term partnership between public-private actors in Albania, aligning with the international institutions' goals for achieving sustainability in the global economy.
Its specific aim was to introduce the opportunities and best practices of Southern Albania for implementing sustainable tourism, as an example in the country and beyond, in the Balkan region, to achieve the SDGs.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) certified InSET, as a Civil Society Organization (CSO) operating at the national and regional level, with a focus on sustainable development. InSET proposed to organize the First Conference on Sustainable Development in Albania, on November 24th, 2017, for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism. The conference brought together various stakeholders/actors in the Albanian tourism sector, especially for the purpose of sustainable tourism development: policymakers, universities, tour operators, private businesses in tourism, and international NGOs.
As the lead partner and organizer of the conference, InSET collaborated with the Ministry of Tourism and the Regional Development Agency (RDA 4), an Albanian public body established by the Council of Ministers Decision No 961/02/12/2015, within the context of the new Albanian governmental policies for regional development.

Common goals between InSET and RDA 4, within the framework of IY ST4D, are:

• Creation and establishment of models of public-private partnerships for common development interests.
• Encouraging a broader pattern of cooperation and promotion of regional and interregional partnerships.

The organization of the conference was possible due to a raised partnership with the following institutions:

• Municipality of Vlora
• Ministry of Tourism and Environment
• NGOs
• Tourism operators' Association representatives in Vlora and Tirana
• National and International foundations operating in the tourism sector in Vlora
• Municipality of Himara
• Municipality of Gjirokastra
• University of Vlora

The organization created a strong foundation for future editions of the conference within the framework of SDG achievement, continually trying to:

• Bring together various stakeholders/actors in the southern region of Albania in the tourism sector, especially for the purpose of sustainable tourism development.
• Raise awareness among all stakeholders that sustainable, accessible, and responsible tourism is realized by working together, and that this tourism model is a way of achieving development.
• Encourage professional discussions on sustainable tourism (alternative and/or massive forms, heritage, and sustainable tourism).
• Increase SDG knowledge within the private sector, as there is clearly a lack of knowledge in this sector, which will promote sustainable practices and services in tourism enterprises in the region.
• Raise awareness of communities about their potential and ways of working, thus starting a new path of development in tourism by keeping in touch with the right skills through sustainable tourism.