The resort related to Mr. Trump’s son-in-law faced criticism

The plan to build hotels, apartments, villas and marinas is said to be linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of the US leader.

An investment company related to Mr. Kushner has been granted “special investor” status by Albanian authorities. The project consists of two parts: a coastal property in the Narta lagoon that is a wildlife sanctuary and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited Sazan island, which was once a military base.

In an interview this week with David Senra’s podcast, Ivanka said the family discovered the place by accident. “We went on a boat trip with friends and stopped to swim. That’s how we found this place. We swam to the island, then walked barefoot to the top of the hill and were fascinated by this place,” she recounted.

Albania has about 450 km of coastline, much of it undeveloped for decades. The Albanian government believes that the project can create a turning point for the Eastern European country, at a time when the country wants to enter the high-end tourism market and promote the process of joining the European Union (EU).

However, the project in southern Albania is facing strong reactions from environmental groups and critics of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Protest groups fear that stretches of the country’s pristine coastline will fall into the hands of powerful investors. The project is implemented in a nature reserve, one of the most valuable biodiversity areas in Albania. This is an important stopover point for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast.

Since the end of May, excavators and many heavy equipment have appeared in the area to open roads, dig sand, clear land between pine forests and erect fences. Public reaction increased after a video appeared showing an activist being dragged by private security guards while protesting in the area.

Protesters in the capital Tirana recently also brought cardboard models of flamingos, a protected migratory bird in this area, to call for ecological protection. A local environmental group alleges that long-protected biosphere areas are being “irreversibly destroyed”.

Those who oppose the project say that Albania needs to learn from a similar investment case in Serbia. In November 2025, the Serbian parliament passed a special law to pave the way for the construction of a luxury resort complex in the capital Belgrade, replacing the military complex that was bombed during the Yugoslav war. The project receives capital from an investment company also related to Jared Kushner.

Just a month later, Serbia’s anti-organized crime prosecutor indicted four people, including a minister, on charges of abuse of office and falsifying documents to support the project. Mr. Kushner later withdrew from the multi-million dollar investment plan.

The Albanian government said the land for the project is privately owned. However, there have been some controversies about the legality of the land privatization process, a common type of legal dispute in this country. Albania’s anti-corruption agency confirmed it has opened an investigation related to the project but has not announced details.

Prime Minister Edi Rama still supports the project, saying that this is a step consistent with the ambition of making Albania a global tourist destination.

“Albania should not be a country that is afraid of an extraordinary project like this, where exceptional partners jointly invest 4 billion euros (more than 4.6 billion USD),” he said. “As long as I am in office, this investment will not be hindered.”