Gjirokaster County
Gjirokastër's UNESCO stone city saw tourism increase sixfold since 2019, reversing emigration as returnees invest in heritage economy.
Gjirokastër County demonstrates how heritage preservation can reverse demographic decline. Known as the 'City of Stone' for its distinctive slate-roofed Ottoman houses, Gjirokastër earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2005. For years, this designation provided prestige without prosperity—young people continued emigrating while stone buildings crumbled. Then tourism arrived: visitor numbers increased sixfold between 2019 and 2024, transforming empty streets into economic corridors.
The county shows how keystone species dynamics apply to cultural tourism. More than 500 historical homes carry cultural monument status, but visitor spending concentrates around the castle, bazaar, and Cold War tunnel. These attractions function as anchor species, drawing visitors who then disperse into restaurants, guesthouses, and craft shops. World Bank investment in infrastructure—rehabilitated plazas, signage, accessibility improvements—enhanced this dispersal by making secondary sites reachable.
Most striking is the demographic reversal. Heritage tourism has become a magnet for returnees—former emigrants coming back to invest in guesthouses and restaurants. Over half of new tourism jobs went to women, youth, and people with disabilities, populations typically excluded from Albania's labor market. This pattern mirrors ecological succession where pioneer species create conditions enabling diverse communities to establish. Whether Gjirokastër can sustain this growth depends on managing carrying capacity: too many tourists could destroy the authentic atmosphere that attracts them.