GOING DIGITAL ON THE VJOSA: STRENGTHENING PARK MANAGEMENT THROUGH UNIFIED E-TICKETING AND E-INVOICING
Building on the successful introduction of electronic ticketing and e-invoicing across Albania’s protected areas, UNDP, through the EU4Nature programme, supported the newly established Vjosa River National Park Administration Office in introducing its own dedicated, unified electronic ticketing and e-invoicing system. The benefits extend well beyond replacing paper tickets and invoices with electronic ones. The system provides the Vjosa Administration Office with an integrated revenue, expenditure and management-information tool, strengthening its capacity to administer the Park and supporting the implementation of the objectives and actions set out in its 2024–2034 Integrated Management Plan.
Vjosa: Europe’s First Wild River National Park
Vjosa River National Park, designated in 2023, is Europe’s first Wild River National Park and one of Albania’s most significant natural assets. It protects one of the continent’s last remaining free-flowing river systems, flowing largely unhindered by artificial barriers before reaching the Adriatic Sea. The park supports exceptional biodiversity, including hundreds of species of birds, fish and plants, some of which are rare or threatened. Its distinctive landscapes, from river beaches and natural trails to dramatic valleys and panoramic views, offer visitors a wide range of opportunities to experience the river and its surrounding ecosystems. The Vjosa has consequently become an important destination for nature-based activities such as rafting, kayaking, hiking and wildlife observation, as well as for the development of sustainable tourism.
From Vision to Action: The 2024–2034 Integrated Management Plan
The Integrated Management Plan 2024–2034 for Vjosa River National Park was developed by national and international experts under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and Patagonia, in cooperation with IUCN. The Plan serves as the main strategic framework for the conservation, management and sustainable development of the protected area and is implemented by the protected area administration. Prepared in accordance with Law No. 81/2017 “On Protected Areas,” as amended, it covers a ten-year implementation period. An integral part of the Management Plan is its Action Plan, which translates the Plan’s objectives into concrete actions, organized by priority and linked to relevant performance indicators for monitoring implementation and results.
A New Management Model for Vjosa River National Park
In 2024, Albania introduced a new institutional model for the management of national parks through amendments to the Law on Protected Areas, which provided for the establishment of dedicated National Park Administration Offices (ZAPK). Where such an office is established, it assumes the management functions previously exercised by the National Agency of Protected Areas (NAPA) and the respective Regional Administration of Protected Areas (RAPA) within the national park concerned. The amended legislation also assigns the administration of revenues generated from economic activities and fees within these parks to the respective ZAPK, rather than to NAPA.
Vjosa River National Park became the first national park in Albania to operate under this new model. Through Decision of the Council of Ministers No. 774, dated 13 December 2024, “On the Establishment, Organization and Functioning of the Administration Office of Vjosa River National Park,” the first dedicated National Park Administration Office was established. This represented an important institutional change in Albania’s protected-area governance, creating a specialized structure responsible for the administration and management of the Park, including the management of revenues generated within its territory.
Going Digital: A Unified E-Ticketing and E-Invoicing System for Vjosa
Following the successful introduction of electronic ticketing and e-invoicing across Albania’s protected areas, UNDP, through the EU4Nature programme, supported the newly established Vjosa River National Park Administration Office in introducing its own dedicated, unified electronic ticketing and e-invoicing system. The approach builds on the experience and solutions previously introduced with NAPA, where digital systems and equipment have enabled real-time revenue tracking and standardized fee collection. For Vjosa, however, the system operates separately, with dedicated accounts and users under the authority of the Vjosa River National Park Administration Office. Behind the scenes the system runs on state infrastructure (e-Albania) as a certified fiscalization solution, and in practice is delivered through the e-invoicing (easyInvoice) and e-ticketing (easyPOS) applications developed by ESDP and financed by EU4Nature.
EU4Nature provided the electronic ticketing and e-invoicing system together with three years of technical support and three portable e-ticketing devices equipped with integrated printers and mobile internet connectivity. The portable devices allow authorized park staff to issue fiscalized electronic tickets and invoices directly at the point where services are provided, including locations where establishing a permanent ticket office would not be practical. This flexibility is particularly relevant for a river park such as Vjosa, where visitor activities and potential points of service are distributed across a large and geographically diverse territory.
Each authorized staff member operates through an individual user account, ensuring clear responsibility and traceability for transactions. At the management level, the Director of the Vjosa River National Park Administration Office and the Head of Finance can monitor transactions across all points of sale in real time. The system allows management to generate reports by period, type of fee or service, counterparty, user and point of sale, providing a consolidated and timely picture of revenue-generating activities across the Park, complemented by information on the use of generated funds.
The e-invoicing component extends these capabilities beyond visitor tickets and point-of-sale transactions. The system enables the Administration Office to issue electronic invoices, track both issued and incoming invoices, and generate reports on each. On the revenue side, this provides greater visibility and control over revenues generated from rights granted to private third parties to undertake permitted activities or use resources within the Park. Amounts invoiced, collected and outstanding can be monitored systematically, strengthening controls and transparency throughout the revenue-generation and collection process.
On the expenditure side, tracking incoming invoices provides management with improved information on how the Park’s financial resources are being used. This is particularly important because revenues generated by the Park are subject to legal requirements governing their use. Digital monitoring and reporting therefore help the Administration verify that expenditures financed from these revenues are made for legally permitted purposes, while creating a more complete and accessible audit trail for internal management, financial reporting and external oversight.
The benefits of the system consequently extend well beyond replacing paper tickets and invoices with electronic ones. It provides the Vjosa Administration Office with an integrated revenue, expenditure and management-information tool. It facilitates reconciliation and reporting, strengthens internal controls, improves accountability and gives management timely information on both the generation and use of the Park’s financial resources. Transaction data can also provide valuable management information on where and when paid activities occur, which services are being used and how different revenue sources develop over time.
Importantly, digitalization can also strengthen trust between the Park Administration, visitors and private operators. Every payment is formally recorded and supported by an electronic ticket or invoice, giving users greater confidence that the fees they pay are officially collected and accounted for. At the same time, improved monitoring of both revenues and expenditures strengthens the Administration’s ability to demonstrate how resources generated by the Park are managed and used. This combination of formalization, transparency and accountability can reinforce willingness to pay and strengthen the link between revenues generated through the sustainable use and enjoyment of Vjosa and the resources available for its management and conservation. This was also an important benefit identified through the broader EU4Nature digitalization initiative, where formalized payments were designed to strengthen visitor trust, controls, transparency and accountability.
Strengthening Park Administration and Supporting Management Plan Implementation
These improvements place the Vjosa River National Park Administration Office in a stronger position to fulfil its statutory duties and responsibilities for the administration of the Park, including its responsibility for the management of revenues generated within its territory and for ensuring that these resources are used in accordance with legal requirements and for the benefit of the Park and local communities.
At the same time, the introduction of the unified electronic ticketing and e-invoicing system is not only an administrative and financial-management improvement; it also directly supports the implementation of the 2024–2034 Integrated Management Plan. By strengthening revenue and spending management, monitoring, reporting, transparency and the availability of management data, the system contributes to the implementation of specific actions identified in the Plan’s Action Plan and helps move the Park closer to achieving the corresponding management objectives and performance targets.
This contribution is particularly relevant to the Management Plan’s Management and Coordination objective, which envisages an efficient management body capable of implementing the Management Plan, securing the necessary resources and serving as a good-practice example for the management of a complex national park in Albania and beyond.
More specifically, the support contributes directly to Action 18.5.3, which calls for the collection of fees and the establishment of a concrete procedure for their use in implementing the Management Plan. The system provides the practical infrastructure for fee collection and the information needed to manage park-generated revenues and link their use more effectively to implementation of the Plan.
The support is also directly linked to Action 9.2.1, which calls for the development of a ticketing and licensing system for rafting service providers and boat rentals, including private and commercial operators. The electronic ticketing and e-invoicing system provides an important part of the digital infrastructure required to implement this action and manage the associated transactions and revenues.
EU4Nature support therefore goes beyond the provision of software, equipment and technical assistance. It helps translate specific commitments contained in the Management Plan into practical management capacity, strengthening the Vjosa River National Park Administration Office’s ability to fulfil its legal responsibilities and ensure that revenues generated by the Park contribute to its long-term conservation, sustainable management and the benefit of local communities.
Author: AS