The Role of Big Data in Promoting Sustainable Tourism Practices in Albania: Proposal for a National Intelligent Tourism Platform

In the context of digital transformation, Big Data has become a vital instrument in promoting sustainable tourism. This study aims to explore the potential of Big Data analytics to support sustainable tourism development in Albania, with a specific focus on designing a National Intelligent Tourism Platform (NITP). The main objective is to assess how real-time data, when properly collected and utilized, can enhance decision-making, optimize resource allocation, and minimize the environmental and social impacts of tourism activities.The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining primary data collected through structured questionnaires with 90 tourists and semi-structured interviews with 20 tourism-related businesses,5 experts in the fields of technology and 5 legal frameworks, alongside secondary data from national statistics, legal documents, and international reports. The findings indicate that Big Data can significantly improve tourism planning, visitor flow management, and sustainability monitoring. However, challenges such as fragmented data sources, inadequate digital infrastructure, and limited institutional coordination persist. The study concludes with six strategic recommendations for the development and governance of the Albanian NITP, emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral collaboration, standardization of data protocols, and investment in digital capacities. By addressing these factors, Albania has the potential to become a regional model for data-driven and sustainable tourism management.