Geotourism potential of Zall Gjoçaj national park and the area nearby

Abstract

The National Park of Zall Gjoçaj and the surrounding area in Albania have considerable potential for geotourism development thanks to the high geodiversity and biodiversity values. However the geosites of this area are not known or reachable by nature admirers due to the lack of information and poor promotion. This paper intends to fill this gap by recognizing and popularizing the geodiversity of the park and its surrounding area through, valorization and creation of the geoinformation of the geosites. Geotourism potential of this area is evidenced based on geomorphological study of the park and the area nearby. The valorization of the geosites is made according to four criteria of Knapik, et al. modified by Anna Solarska and Zdzisław Jary (Solarska & Jary, 2010). Geoinformation of the geosites is created to inform and guide the visitors at specific sites of interest. A digital database with general and specific data of each site (location, geology, landforms, biodiversity, state of preservation, management, etc) provides information to the public through an inventory card. A database accessible directly from the Web and a Web-GIS application is being developed in order to promote the values of this area to the public and stimulate geotourism development.