Shën Gjergji, a picturesque village located some 40 km from Tirana with various attractions, extraordinary resources and high potential for an expanded tourism economy, but until three years ago was constantly abandoned by its own residents, is becoming today one of the main tourist and popular attractions for the visitors coming from England and Germany. The almost forgotten village attracted a great deal of visitors’ attention when it was selected by the government as one of the 100 villages that will have their infrastructure, public services upgraded and benefit financial assistance in a bid to make them agribusiness oriented by promoting local agriculture products and offering tourists authentic local products.

Prime Minister Edi Rama visited the guesthouse “Tomadhe”, one of the earliest guesthouses built by Albina Çuko in the village of Shën Gjergj. With the government’s financial assistance through the Agricultural and Rural Development Programme, Albina reconstructed her predecessors’ private home and she welcomes now a growing number of tourists.

“It is a guesthouse that has benefited financial assistance under the national scheme supporting rural development and development of agritourism. The entrepreneur has benefited an amount of 8 million lek to refurbish the old property. Albania had already started reconstruction of the house but she had been forced to abandon her plans due to the lack of financial means. She then applied with the Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (ARDA) and the project completed shortly after. This guesthouse is the first of its kind in this area,” ARDA Director Frida Krifca said.

“Visitors are really satisfied and utterly baffled by the village’s wonderful nature. When the village of Shën Gjergj was promoted as a tourist village, we decided to reconstruct the family home and, why not, be the first to build a guesthouse here in Shën Gjergj in order to promote tourism in a village that had been almost forgotten. But things have significantly changed since new road and guesthouses were built here and number of visitors keeps growing,” Albina said.

In addition to the guesthouse, this entrepreneur has also set up the necessary infrastructure for mountain tourism, recreational facilities for children, barbeque place, etc., while she cooperates with the local farmers for the agricultural and processed products served at her restaurant.

“Every weekend we are fully booked by foreign visitors. I expect a group of visitors from Wales on Monday. A German tour and travel agency called me, telling that my guesthouse had been selected for the group of visitors to Tirana and they want to see how tourism is developing in Shën Gjergj,” the entrepreneur added.

Lawmaker Xhemal Qefalia the investment influx and the growing number of tourists followed the government’s decision to include this village in the 100 Villages Programme.

“A large number of residents who had abandoned Shën Gjergj have already returned to their homes in this village over the past three years, when Shën Gjergj was promoted by being included in the 100 Villages Programme. They have come back and have started their own businesses here, including bars, dairy farms etc. The village of Shën Gjegji has been always here, but nobody visited it. People even didn’t know that there existed such a village,” Qefalia said.

On his part, Prime Minister Edi Rama said this guesthouse represents a model that should be followed by others not only to develop this area, but every region across the country with such natural resources. “The thing is to preserve this kind of style. This is a model that needs to develop further,” Prime Minister Rama underlined.

Shën Gjergji has a mountainous relief and is rich in water resources and lakes. Some of the popular destinations attracting visitors are Shengjin Waterfall, Ruins of Shengjin Castle, Shën Gjergji’s Castle, Cave of Val, Sacred Shrine and Old Tomb.

The government support for investment projects on agritourism businesses aims at rural and economic development through individual initiatives as a stimulating factor of Albania’s new economic model. These types of investments are also seen as a good opportunity for economic diversification, capitalization of natural resources and a new option for rural development.