EVALUATION OF RESIDENTS FOR THE IMPACT OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

This study aims to investigate inhabitants' opinions on tourism development as well as their attitudes toward participation in local governance in the study area. Tourism is the main source of their livelihood and is one of the most important dimensions of development. Nowadays is very important to examine the attitude of the residents toward the planning and development of sustainable tourism. The study focuses on the sociological tradition of social exchange guided by the premise that individual feelings can be important elements that influence people's social response and the community's supportive or non-supportive attitude towards tourism development. Based on this reasoning, the questions of the study are 1) How do residents of Saranda evaluate the development of tourism in their place of residence? 2) Are the Saranda residents interested in planning and developing tourism in their area? 3) What is the perception of the residents of Saranda about the impact of tourism development in their area? The purpose of this study is to help in planning the development of sustainable tourism by incorporating two main factors: the involvement of the community in the process and the inclusion of appropriate indicators to understand the factors that influence residents' participation in sustainable tourism in current conditions. In addition to providing a practical contribution to the planning and development of sustainable development strategies in the research region, the study's findings help us better understand the impact of tourism development in the study area. It also directs scientific research and other studies in measuring and analyzing additional aspects that influence how economic resources are used in the study area