The government paves the way for resorts after reviewing the natural boundaries of Butrint Park

The resort is the first to be built in the coastal area Saranda-Butrint, one of the most coveted areas of the country for tourist construction.

About 800 hectares of this coastal area until January this year were part of the Butrint National Park, but were removed by a government decision as part of the review of the natural boundaries of some national parks.

Map of Butrint Park, orange area of ​​800 hectares, former part of the park in category “B”, already removed in January 2022 by the government as part of the review of the boundaries of protected areas.

The recently removed area of ​​800 hectares, in a part of which will be erected “Monastery Resort” was included in the area of ​​Butrint Park since 2005 and enjoyed the protected status in category “B”, where intensive construction developments were not allowed .

The “Monastery Resort” project to be implemented, gained the status of strategic investment at the end of 2021 with a decision of the Strategic Investment Committee headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama.

According to the government decision, the value of the investment is estimated at 28 million Euros, in a development area of ​​about 53 thousand square meters, private property, with accommodation structures with total capacity ranging from 83-100 beds, restaurant, bar, outdoor pool, etc.

The government has approved in principle the permission to use the sea shores and the beach area, for thirty years.

“Monastery Resort” has recently been established as a subject by the entrepreneurial parties, ALB-STAR Company and ANDI Company shpk which were also provided with a construction permit by the government in February this year.

In the area where the resort will be built 23 years ago only one hotel was built, in about 200 square meters, which was demolished last year by the National Construction Inspectorate.

The intervention was based on a demolition decision of the Municipality of Saranda, while the owner of the hotel said that he had a construction permit issued in 1999 and was in an unfinished legal process for the legalization of the building.

The construction of tourist resorts or massive construction developments in coastal areas had been announced by 25 environmental organizations and 4 professors of natural sciences since the map of protected areas for some parks was revised in January this year.

Through a joint response, the largest environmental organizations in the country and professors of natural sciences Aleko Miho, Ferdinand Bego, Mihallaq Qirjo and Spase Shumka confirmed that “By reviewing the boundaries of protected areas, unstable developments are ‘hidden’, such as urbanization, airports, habitat areas covered by industrial parks.”

“Opening the way for these projects will irreversibly damage these areas.” had asserted well-known organizations and professors of natural sciences.

The construction of tourist resorts is also favored by a law on strategic investments, approved in 2015 by the Albanian parliament and designed to attract large investments.

According to a BIRN Agency survey, local businesses aiming for short-term profits have reaped most of the benefits as of the 35 projects listed as strategic investments from 2016 to 2021, 26 were tourism-oriented and only two came entirely from abroad.

BIRN singled out as controversial two projects that had gained the status of strategic investment, according to the 2015 law.

One of the projects is related to a government decision to give permission to the American partner of the brother of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhaçka, to use a beach in Dhërmi for 30 years.

While the other project is related to the construction of a tourist complex with about 13.8 million euros in Dhërmi which will be developed by two companies, one of which with administrator Albanian comedian Gazmend Paja, previously unknown in business.

top channel