Each year on February 21st, over 70 countries worldwide celebrate the International Tourist Guide Day to honor their work as cultural and environmental ambassadors of their countries. In this context, a group of tour guides from Albania together with our staff and a local guide, Mr. Altin Hila, organized an excursion in Divjaka-Karavasta National Park.
The park, renowned for its rich biodiversity and gorgeous scenery, attracts thousands of visitors every year. Therefore, this excursion aimed at raising awareness among national tour guides regarding the high ecological values as well as the threats and prevalent issues the park faces today.
The symbol of Divjaka-Karavasta – the Dalmatian Pelican – got special attention with an entire activity dedicated to it. The participants took a walk along the scenic Pelican Trail, cleaning debris along the way. And as the name suggest, the trail ends with an observation point overlooking the Pelican Island, where the only breeding colony in the country builds its nests every year. The breeding season was in full swing, and the participants were charmed by the dozens of pelicans sporting a blood-red pouch and a funky “hairdo”.
Other activities featured activities tree planting, a visit to Mr. Hila’s private invertebrate gallery as well as plenty of discussions on a number of topics regarding sustainable tourism, the environment and Divjaka-Karavasta National Park.
Lastly, we would like to thank all the tour guides for their participation.
“The Pelican trail clean-up and birdwatching were carried out within the framework of the ‘Maintaining the Ecological Integrity and Biodiversity of Divjaka-Karavasta National Park’ project, supported by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).”
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