Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Blendi Gonxhja gave the news highlighting that the program is being finalized in cooperation with GIS and the State Cadaster Agency (ASHK) and is being developed in several directions in parallel.

“We are finalizing the national program for the revitalization of northern towers together with GIS and AsHK, with the objective of moving from the identification and design phase to concrete investments for restoration and revitalization within 2027,” stated Gonxhja.

According to him, one of the main directions of work is the formalization of ownership, in cooperation with the State Cadaster Agency.

“Authorities have processed 697 cases across Dibra, Shkodra, Lezha and Kukës regions to establish the legal and financial framework needed to include local kulla (traditional stone towers) in the restoration program”, Gonxhja emphasized.

In parallel, there have begun the technical preparation of the interventions.

“In cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture of the Polytechnic University of Tirana (UPT), there have been drafted 28 conceptual restoration projects, which will serve as models for concrete interventions”, said Gonxhja.

Minister Gonxhja announced that, “The next step is to determine the list of priority objects, starting with the 64 towers with cultural monument status, towers at risk and those for which the ownership process has been completed or is nearing completion”.

“Direct budgetary support is expected to be provided for these objects, with a focus on their complete restoration and revitalization”, said Gonxhja.

He said that, “In addition to restoration, we aim to give the towers a concrete function as guesthouses, agrotourism, museums or hospitality centers, i.e. even for visitors and tourists, so that the investment generates the widest possible economic activity for the areas”.

So, this program aims to combine the protection of cultural heritage with the economic and tourist development of the northern areas, by turning traditional towers into new points of cultural, tourist and economic activity.

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The State Cadastre Agency is moving to formalize ownership of previously unregulated characteristic objects, clearing the path for urgent investment and renovation.

Proper legal documentation will create opportunities for growth in agrotourism and cultural tourism.

Northern Albania’s traditional stone towers, known as kulla, are cornerstone elements of the region’s cultural identity and architectural heritage. Formalizing and restoring these structures is a crucial initiative, breathing new life into historical sites while integrating them into local economic development.

The Cadastre highlighted that this process aims to secure ownership rights while encouraging investment in the restoration and maintenance of the towers, in compliance with cultural heritage protection standards.

This step runs parallel to the national tower revitalization program, which links heritage conservation with sustainable tourism. It supports a wider strategy for asset formalization and cultural valorization, turning historical assets into engines of economic growth and national identity. /e.xh/j.p/p.s./

This is an initiative that connects heritage, tourism and sustainable development.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Blendi Gonxhja said in his speech that “The goal of this program is to document, restore and put into operation traditional towers as an active part of the cultural and economic development of the areas where they are located”.

“The towers constitute an important asset of our cultural heritage. Many of them are in a damaged state, so the program aims to restore them to function through planned and sustainable interventions. That is why we also have specialists from the National Institute of Cultural Heritage, the Institute for the Registration of Monuments and Sites and other specialists in the field”, said Gonxhja.

The program is divided into two main phases: The first phase, which will take place during 2025–2026, includes the regions of Shkodra, Lezha, Dibra and Kukës.

“In this phase, there will be carried out the inventory, documentation, potential assessment and selection of the towers that will be included in the pilot projects,” Gonxhja emphasized.

The second phase, Gonxhja continued, extends over 2026–2027 period. It will focus on the concrete implementation of restoration interventions and the functioning of the towers according to new concepts such as: guesthouses, interpretation centers, local museums or spaces for crafts and cultural activities.

Gonxhja said that in recent years, data show a significant increase in interest in cultural heritage related to sustainable tourism, 13% increase of visits compared to January-September 2024. /k.s/j.p/p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared today in the social media photos from this tour, where every tourist will be given the opportunity to get acquainted with the traditional Albanian way of life from very close, also as a welcome invitation to those homes where hospitality as a virtue gets meaning through the expression “Albanian’s home is of God and guest”.

In the wake of the pilot model “Agro-tourism Tours”, the third tourism product, “Tour of Towers”, brought together tour operators, collaborators and lovers of tradition, architecture and history in a short, but impressive trip to some of the towers that are part of this tour.

The doors of the towers were generously opened to offer the traditional dishes of the area of ​​Mati and Bulqiza, which were followed by songs, dances and stories handed down from generation to generation.

Among several towers, part of the tour, the participants visited “Barçi Tower”, “Celiku guesthouse”, “Shaban Zajmi Tower”, “Ancient Tower” and “Hupi Tower”.

“Tour of Towers” is an innovative idea supported by GIZ Albania so that to have a taste of Albania from a previously unexplored point of view. /r.e/a.f/p.s./

Veliaj attended today together with Prime Minister Edi Rama the international competition event for the prestigious project of the Tirana Multifunctional Center.

He argued that the hotels in the capital should be at the same level and have hosting capacities to cope with these figures.

“For the first time, Tirana has more tourists than local residents in a year. It is something extraordinary! Now how do they stand together? We want to have tourists, but we don’t want to have tower buildings? Then, in what hotels will they stay? Shall we accommodate them at home? In the same way, we want to have the UEFA cup finals played in Tirana, to be the European Youth Capital, to have Rita Ora and Dua Lipa come, but we don’t think of their accommodation. As it happened in the case of these big events, we took people to Shkodra, of course also to Elbasan and Durrës, for the UEFA final. Therefore, it is very important to base things on facts. I believe that we need a national pact of at least not to insult and not tarnish our country,” said Veliaj.

He said that all this development has increased the value of property in Tirana for everyone.

“Today, even the biggest slanderer of the opposition lives in a house that is worth twice as much. And he has done nothing about it, but simply because the city is cleaner. Tirana has had more activities and our investments in certain points have increased the value of the property. Today, even the biggest opponent of development lives better,” said Veliaj./k.s/j.p/p.s./