The year 2023 increased by 50% the number of tourists in Gjirokastra District compared to 2022. There are now about 300 thousand tourists, most of them foreigners, who during 2023 visited the natural values, historical objects, cultural heritage and cultural monuments in the Gjirokastra District.
“The year 2023 has been the best historical year for the Gjirokastra District since in all the statistical figures that we have as the regional director, there has been a significant increase in the number of visitors, we have had an increase of about 50% on an annual basis compared to the year 2022, also an important role in this growth has been the organization of some very important activities such as the National Folk Festival, which in terms of grandeur and organization was in the best possible way, in all the facilities that we administer but also in cooperation with the local government such as the municipality of Gjirokastra, Libohovë, Dropull, etc., we have an increased and significant number compared to 2022”, said Ardis Duka, director of the cultural heritage directorate in Gjirokastra.
Among the most visited spots have been the Gjirokastra castle, the monument that has the highest number of tourists in the country, to continue with the touristic areas of Tepelena, Përmet, and the Vjosa National Park.
“We have two very important archaeological sites such as the archaeological site of Antigone and Adrianopol, which have had a higher visitation, much higher compared to the previous year, we also have the church of ‘Labova i Kryqit’, which is also a from the most visited objects, almost all cult objects have been visited Teqeja e Melani, in Përmet, we have Ali Pasha’s aqueduct and some other objects Tepelena castle, in Përmet we also have some very important cult objects, which, from the visitors’ side, have enough interest”, said Ardis Duka, director of the cultural heritage directorate in Gjirokastra.
The structures of cultural heritage in the Gjirokastra District aim to register a higher number of tourists by 2024, bringing even more income to the residents and the local economy.