AIM Butrint: Preserving the Past, Securing the Future

The Albanian American Development Foundation was established to help build a stronger, more resilient Albania through philanthropic investments in people, institutions, and public assets that will endure. Our guiding principle has always been long-term impact: reforms and investments that outlast us, and that future generations will inherit stronger than AADF found them.

Culture and heritage have always been at the heart of that vision because they are not only a source of identity, but also drivers of economic opportunity and community pride.

Butrint is exceptional. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, designated a National Park in 2000, and recognized as a part of Ramsar Site in 2002, Butrint is unique among Mediterranean archaeological sites because of its exceptional combination of cultural and natural values. This makes it both highly attractive and particularly vulnerable. Without a new management model, the site risked being exposed to increasing visitor pressure and insufficient protection. AADF saw in Butrint an opportunity to create a benchmark for Albania and the region: a sustainable model that preserves heritage, engages communities, and generates its own revenue.

In 2019, AADF delivered an Integrated Management Plan for the entire National Park, aligned with UNESCO requirements. In 2021, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, AADF established the Butrint Management Foundation, a dedicated foundation responsible for managing the Ancient Site of Butrint and the first public-private body of its kind in Albania. A two-year transition period followed, during which the Foundation conducted specialized studies essential to the site’s long-term conservation, maintenance, and development. These studies provided a comprehensive understanding of responsibilities and risks associated with managing the site. The management of Butrint was formally transferred to the Foundation on November 1, 2024.

Since November 1, 2024, the Foundation has directly managed the site, applying international standards of conservation, visitor services, governance and financial transparency.

During this first year of operation, the Butrint Management Foundation (BMF) has achieved several important milestones:

• Completed the project for a new Visitor Centre to provide world-class interpretation and improve visitor flow.
• Implemented a comprehensive conservation program that brought the Ancient Site up to international standards. 
• Increased staffing from 14 to 34 positions, with plans to expand to 44 over the next three years, prioritizing local employment and skills transfer.
• Compared with 2024, 2025 recorded a 45% increase in visitor numbers and an 86% increase in revenues. 
• Launched the Community Grants Scheme and established a community outreach programme to serve as a catalyst for local economic activity and service providers, helping surrounding communities benefit directly from increased tourism.

These interventions are backed by a 10-year commitment from AADF and the Government of Albania, covering capital investments, community outreach, and administrative support. 

A central principle of this model is that the value created by Butrint stays with Butrint. Revenues generated by the site are retained within the management structure and reinvested in its conservation, operations, and continued development. The objective is to establish a financially sustainable management model, enabling Butrint to become self-sustaining by 2029 and progressively reducing its reliance on external funding. But our vision goes beyond numbers. 

AADF sees Butrint becoming a model for heritage management in Albania and the wider Balkans: a place where conservation, sustainable tourism, and local benefit reinforce one another; a hub for innovative approaches; and a source of pride for all Albanians. This model is about creating a governance system that works, with revenue reinvested on site, clear lines of responsibility, professional staff, and local communities as partners. It is about demonstrating that Albania can manage its treasures to international standards and, in doing so, unlock new opportunities.

By 2030, AADF aims to support the Butrint’s application to UNESCO for designation as a mixed World Heritage property, recognizing both the cultural and natural values of this exceptional place.

This model also received positive recognition at the international level during the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Busan, Republic of Korea, in 2026.

The strategic and technical documentation developed for Butrint during the transition period was positively acknowledged for its relevance and practical contribution to the implementation of the Integrated Management Plan. In this context, Butrint’s approach was also presented as a model that places local communities at the heart of planning, decision-making, and the long-term development of the site.

AADF knows the work is not finished. Conservation is complex, and tourism brings pressures as well as benefits. But AADF is convinced that, with a clear plan, strong partnerships, and persistence, Butrint can become a benchmark for sustainable heritage management across the region.

This is our commitment as the Albanian American Development Foundation: to keep investing, to keep building capacity, and to keep demonstrating that Albania’s cultural heritage is not a burden, but an asset for the future.