The interrelation of natural diversity with tourism in Kosovo

Abstract

The plant and animal wealth of a place, region, or state represents a significant component of the geographic-natural tourist offer. Tourist routes are concentrated specifically on areas with a variety of plants, rich vegetation, and diverse animal world. The Balkan Peninsula in general, and Kosovo in particular, is characterized by high geodiversity and biodiversity value. This feature can serve as an important recreational and tourism potential for Kosovo and, consequently, in sustainable tourism development. For this reason, this article deals with the content of natural diversity, the size and time of introduction of geo and biodiversity values under protection, and, above all, it brings arguments if the same contributed to the increase of tourist motivation for local and foreign tourists. Results were achieved using both quantitative and qualitative methods, with the latter being more effective in the lack of the formal system of data collection and tourism management in Kosovo. According to official statistics, protected areas (PAs) of Kosovo occupy roughly 12% of the total area (2021). There was a significant rise (8%), from 4.26 to 12.25% in 2003 in the last 20 years (2021). The study shows that this desirable level of representation did not attract enough tourists. Furthermore, it is argued that immediate reformation of policies is required for the management of natural diversity values of the country. In order to achieve this, the government must implement more comprehensive measures in order to manage PAs more intricately, where the interaction with tourism is a key issue and not just a simple one, as it has been up until now.