World Heritage, Tourism and Rural Sustainable Development in the Lake Ohrid Region: Discourses, Approaches and Challenges
World Heritage, Tourism and Rural Sustainable Development in the Lake Ohrid Region: Discourses, Approaches and Challenges

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of how discourses about development of rural landscapes in Albania have been framed by contemporary concepts underpinning management of World Heritage properties listed by UNESCO. The study focuses on the approaches and challenges to harness the potential of World Heritage to contribute to rural sustainable development around Lake Ohrid in Albania. Rural or village tourism was proposed to achieve appropriate balance and integration between the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the site and the pursuit of sustainable development objectives for the site as a whole, including its urban areas. A set of recommendations concerning rural landscapes were advanced: (1) development of agro-tourism and inclusion of village clusters in visible itineraries; (2) capacity development for village tourism development; and (3) using a business approach to develop a showcase to raise awareness of natural and cultural heritage. The paper applies Discourse Analysis to review the arguments put forward in a corpus of documents developed within a project to extend the existing site in North Macedonia into the Albanian part of the Lake Ohrid, including workshop and training materials, studies, policy statements, management plans and awareness raising materials. The findings from the study are discussed in the context of the Sustainable Development Goal Target 11.4 that aims at strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

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