Beyond Tourism-Led Rural Development: Territorial Governance and Local Value Chains in Peripheral Rural Regions (Evidence from Albania)

Rural tourism is often promoted as a driver of development in peripheral rural regions, but its effects depend on local territorial conditions. This paper examines how territorial governance and local value chains shape the development effects of rural tourism in Fishtë, Albania. The study is based on 60 semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and field observations. The findings show that development in Fishtë does not result solely from tourism, but from its links with local agriculture and gastronomy, mainly through informal governance arrangements. These local value chains help retain value within the territory, but their benefits remain uneven. Rural tourism can support territorial development only when embedded in locally governed and more inclusive value chains.