Kelmend is increasingly becoming one of the most preferred tourist destinations, thanks to its natural beauty, clean air, and traditions preserved across generations. Located in the heart of the Albanian Alps, the area offers breathtaking landscapes, attracting visitors with outdoor activities, traditional cuisine, and family-run guesthouses, which are becoming an important source of income for the local economy.

However, despite the growth of tourism, Vermosh, the most visited tourist spot in Kelmend, continues to face the challenge of depopulation.

According to residents, tourism remains the only hope for the area, as it can encourage young people to return, invest in inherited homes, and transform them into guesthouses that welcome visitors throughout the year.

Keeping the road open during the winter season has had a positive impact, enabling some guesthouses to remain operational even during the colder months in order to provide services to tourists.

“The phenomenon of emigration has affected the vast majority of Kelmend, while the only form of hope for this area, for the return of young people, is tourism,” said Euronews journalist Teodor Gjerga.