Tourism development and Human Resources challenges (Gjirokastra Region)

Abstract

The economic development of many countries in general, depends on a large extent on the development of the tertiary sector and tourism is one of the most important components of this sector. Tourism significantly affects GDP growth, export growth, environmental protection and also employs many people. As a result, many developing countries promote tourism as a tool for economic and social development. In our country tourism development tends to be one of the main ways to alleviate the problem of high unemployment. Human resources play a vital role as an important element in the organization's performance for achieving its economic objectives. This role is increased even more in the case of organizations that provide services. This means that it is necessary to ensure high standards of quality and efficiency of HR. Intended objectives can only be achieved by defining the specific needs of human resources development in various segments of the sector. Keyword: Human Resources, Tourism, Training, Education system, Gjirokastra 1. The Importance of Tourism Development Tourism is an important economic activity worldwide. There is a direct and an indirect impact of this sector in the economic development and in the number of employees. This paper is mainly based on the national and international institution’s data but we must mention that the revenues of this sector are higher than statistic data shows. There are practical difficulties in the right collection of this sector’s data because of the diverse structure of its services and it’s all inclusive nature. However, based on the report made by WTTC (World Travel & Tourism Council), we can mention that in Albania the total contribution of Tourism & Travel in GDP for 2013 was 68.1 bn ALL or 4,8% of GDP and it is predicted to grow by 5.5% up to 71.9 bn ALL in 2014. The forecast for 2024 shows a growth up to 123.6 bn ALL or 6.1% of GDP.1 An element with great importance in the sector of tourism is the number of its employees. Referring to the same report made by WTTC (World Travel & Tourism 1 WTTC, Travel & Tourism Economic Impact, 2014, Albania, pg 3