On December 10, 2024, the meeting “Doctoral Students Day: Promotion of the territory, guarantee for sustainable tourism” took place in the premises of the Historical Museum “Oso Kuka” in Shkodra, within the PLAKOD project. In his welcome speech, the director, Mr. Sokol Parmeza, emphasized the pioneering role that institutions should have in every sector of development, in the economy, in culture, in tourism, in the field of research.
The meeting dedicated to the doctoral students of the doctoral program in “Sustainable Economy and Tourism”, welcomed the coordinator of this program, Prof. Arjeta Troshani, who emphasized the importance of such a program for our university and our region, the challenges in starting this program in coordination with many partner universities, revealed the scientific fields of research, the opportunities in its development. In conclusion, she noted that by adopting innovative approaches, fostering collaboration, the university can create high-impact and sustainable academic programs.
PhD student Valjeta Gjylbegaj spoke about cultural heritage and literature as a tourist perspective. She revealed the goals and objectives of her PhD project, how the natural, cultural, tourist and ethnographic elements of the city of Shkodra are reflected through the literary texts of some foreign authors, the possible tourist itineraries that can be created from them, the possible results and new expectations.
Fatjon Mlloja, another PhD student, referred to the topic of vernacular architecture of Shkodra. He drew attention to the large number of cultural monuments in Shkodra and how they were classified. After exposing many of the photos of these monuments, he focused on the analysis of the characteristic Shkodra dwelling, the way of construction, the functioning of the spaces, the restoration works of the original dwellings and their maintenance, emphasizing their importance as a tourist attraction. Highlighting local values is also the goal of their studies, in order to minimize the fragmented nature of our cultural heritage.
At the end of the meeting, the moderator prof. Valjeta Gjylbegaj underlined that with the first meeting of the PhD students, among the two foreseen by the project, the first phase of the activities also ends, which will continue in January with the analysis of the current state of digital promotion of the territory and the work sector.
