Prespa Information Centres

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP) has undertaken a series of initiatives in environmental awareness raising and ecotourism, aiming to promote tourism development, in a way that would not have negative effects on the natural and socio-economic environment of Prespa. A milestone in these initiatives was the opening of the first Visitor Information Centre ever to operate in a National Park in 1992. The purpose of establishing the centre was to highlight the not-so-well-known at the time, rare natural and cultural values of the region, to the general public, as well as to residents of Prespa.

The Visitor Information Centre operated for 20 years and during that time it welcomed more than 132,000 visitors, many of whom were school students from all over Greece. In 2012, having now fulfilled its original objective, the centre closed its doors after three additional Visitor Information Centres started to operate under the supervision of the Management Body of the Prespa National Park.

After the closure of the centre the SPP has still maintained its provision of tour services, informing and raising awareness for visitors who want to learn more about Prespa and the organisation’s conservation work. To date, thousands of visitors have followed tours in the area carried out by SPP staff.

In addition, the SPP has also supported its transboundary partners with advice and capacity building for the establishment of information centres in Albanian Lesser Prespa and for the Galicica National Park in North Macedonia.