ROLE OF MARKETING IN INCREASING OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT. THE CASE OF ALBANIA AS A MEDITERANEAN COUNTRY

The conceptual framework of this paper is informed by Jamal and Gertz's research into stakeholder collaboration where they define it 'as a process of joint decision- making among key stakeholders of an inter- organizational community tourism domain to resolve planning problems of the domain and manage issues related to planning and development of the domain. Structured surveys were conducted with 12 goverment officials 24 tourism operators and 170 local residents in and around this destination. The snowballed sample of 206 offers a reasonable cross- section of views and an indicative exploration into the involvement of various stakeholders. Thequestionnaire consisted of 34statements measuring the subject's participation in various aspects of tourism planning anddevelopment and their perceptions of benefits and costs of tourism in this area. Results are reported in frequencies and correlations.