A delegation from the Municipality of Mallakastër carried out a visit to the Emilia-Romagna region from 29 September to 3 October, within the framework of the Byllis project, which aims to support the economic development of the area in the Fier region.

The group was composed of the Mayor, Mr. Qerim Ismailaj, the Chairman of the Municipal Council, Mr. Nexhmi Sulaj, and the Director of the Culture and Tourism Sector of the same municipality, Ms. Naime Dervishaj.

The institutional meeting at the Emilia-Romagna Region took place at the end of the visit: on Thursday, 2 October, the delegation met with the European Territorial Cooperation sector to discuss the EU-funded project “BYLLIS – EU for Economic Development – Tourism-led local economic development with a focus on cultural heritage.”

This project aims to foster the economic development of Mallakastër by enhancing its tourism potential, mainly linked to the presence in the area of the Illyrian archaeological site of Byllis. The Emilia-Romagna Region, with the support of ART-ER, is a partner of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in the implementation of project activities related to the involvement of the local community and stakeholders in the tourism development process.

During the visit to Emilia-Romagna, the delegation had the opportunity to exchange experiences with the territories of Valmarecchia and Valle del Savio. These two areas were selected as counterparts due to their similarities with Mallakastër: the objective of the visit was to present to the administration examples of inland areas that have invested in tourism development, leveraging both their proximity to coastal destinations and the diversity of resources offered by the territory — cultural, historical, landscape-natural, and gastronomic.

During the visit, exchanges were also held with representatives of local administrations from the two valleys: the Municipalities of Verucchio, San Leo (RN), Sarsina, Mercato Saraceno (FC), the Union of Municipalities of Val di Savio, with the two Local Action Groups (GAL Valli Marecchia e Conca and GAL L’Altra Romagna), as well as with community activation initiatives such as the community cooperative Fer-Menti Leontine.