Multi-Stakeholder Perceptions on the Environmental Impacts of Tourism in Durrës, Albania

Abstract

This study is based on questionnaires addressed to 82 businesses, 35 institucions and 149 citizens in Durrës as, through the perceptions of different actors, it aims to examine the impacts that tourism has on the environment of this city. The data have collected the perceptions of different actors on the environmental challenges in this territory. The methodology of this paper uses Nvivo exploratory methods such as, word cloud, cluster similarity modeling and word frequency query. From our study, we have identified that tourist waste and ecosystem degradation are the most common problems encountered among the actors questioned. The cause for this is the lack of proper implementation of the law and poor management in environmental protection by institutions. Of course, the environmental impacts shown do not stem only from the tourist flow, but mostly from the lack of infrastructure and poor local governance. In a longer term perspective, we suggest improving waste management systems, better inter-institutional monitoring and coordination, and environmental protection education for different cohabitants.

Received: 5 January 2026 / Revised: 20 February 2026 / Accepted: 3 March 2026 / Published: 25 March 2026