Sofat festival kicked off during the last weekend of September in Asim Zenel village in Gjirokastra. Visit Gjirokastra Association in collaboration with Turtle fest, with support from  the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation project RisiAlbania, are organizing two weekend festivals promoting rural areas of Gjirokastra region: the first one was in Asim Zenel September 28-29th, and the second one will be in Libohova during October 4-5th.

Around 200 national and international visitors enjoyed the SOFAT Festival in Asim Zenel, which offered a combination of traditional and modern music, as well as a chance to immerse in village life thanks to the involvement of rural communities who hosted tourists and shared their traditions for the first time.

“Albanian villages need these activities, there are so many tourists in the village during these days and we have the opportunity to share our culture and traditions” – said Delo Serjani, a resident in Asim Zenel.

The Asociation supports local communities with awareness and training before the event to ensure the services they provide are up to standard, and also manages bookings and coordinates promotional activities with Turtle shpk, the company that is organizing the artistic programming.

“Through these activities we aim at bringing more visitors in the area and make the region a tourism destination. We are working closely with local service providers like guest-houses, artisans, local producers and tour-operators to develop rural tourism all-year around”- said Kristina Fidhi, chairwoman Visit-Gjirokastra association.

The newly created Visit Gjirokastra Association is promoting the region of Gjirokastra as a tourism destination through new tour packages and support for activities such as rural festivals, which bring tourists to remote regions and expose villagers to the economic benefits of tourism.

Risi supports the Visit Gjirokastra Association to develop these services and create jobs for young people at the local communities’ level.