FOREST PROTECTED AREA AND THEIR ECONOMIC IMPACT ON TOURISM

Protected areas are specific area with a special landscape value, rich in formation and rich in biodiversity. These areas have major historical and cultural values which are protected with a special status provided by law.Tourism is one of the most profitable sectors all over the country’s economy and is in interest of all counties. The tourism on protected areas has a large part on it. This sector is an important one even in Albania. According to a publication by the National Bank of Albania, travel and tourism may represent more than 10% of GDP, and perhaps more than 60% of services trade. Dajti National Park, the area we have made the study, was been declared as a protected area with DCM nr.402, dated 21.06.2006, with an area of 29384.2 ha. It is the closest mountainous area to the district of Tirana, the country's most populated areas. This study is focused on the economic impact of the protected area on tourist incomes during a specific period of year (April- June 2013). For this purpose are made interviews where the target groups were chosen from random tourist, with different ages and different countries. The results obtained showed that this area is visited by this contingent mostly one time in a year and 30% of them expend at around 2.000 ALL during their staying in the park, and almost 30 % of the interviewers expend 1.000 to 2.000 ALL for the transportation in the park.