EMPOWERING ACTIVE TOURISM THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE ALBANIAN ACTIVE TOURISM SURVEY: A CASE STUDY

The development process of the Active Tourism Survey in Albania has gone through several major steps in order to create knowledge on the multitude of features pertinent in different active tourism businesses. This paper presents the methodology of making the survey: needs assessment, content development, and pilot testing and refinement. The survey includes business description, challenges and opportunities, visitor satisfaction, and marketing and promotion strategies. Each component of the survey was designed to capture relevant information that is critical to understanding the dynamics and challenges facing active tourism businesses. Certain rigorous validation procedures have been observed to make the survey reliable, valid, and relevant to stakeholders. The survey data was piloted and validated during the event of the Albanian Tourism Fair in Tirana (February 2024). This fair has provided the main platform for promoting Albania's tourism products at the international level and has supported the goals of sustainable tourism development. Supported by the Ministry of Tourism, more than 100 exhibitors representing different companies, hotels, and travel agencies presented their tourism products. The survey is an important tool in providing strategic decisions, policy making, and industry initiatives for increasing the sustainability and competitiveness of the active tourism industry. This survey provides important insight into the dynamics of the active tourism sector in Albania by capturing key information related to the business description, challenges, visitor satisfaction, and marketing strategies.