Trump Family-Linked Resort In Albania Sparks Protests: Why Locals Are Opposing It
Trump Family-Linked Resort In Albania Sparks Protests: Why Locals Are Opposing It Published By, Last Updated: June 05, 2026, 13:14 IST The planned Albania resort
Trump Family-Linked Resort In Albania Sparks Protests: Why Locals Are Opposing It Published By, Last Updated: June 05, 2026, 13:14 IST The planned Albania resort is backed by US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner. Rapid Read Protesters hold banners during a protest against a luxury resort development planned by a company linked with Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on an environmentally sensitive part of the Adriatic coast, in Tirana, Albania, June 4, 2026. (REUTERS) Thousands of people in Albania are protesting a planned luxury resort backed by US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, after heavy machinery began work on the project earlier this week. According to The Washington Post, the project has two parts: a beachfront development along Albania’s Adriatic coast and another resort on the nearby uninhabited Sazan Island. The protests began on Sunday and continued into a fifth day on Thursday, with demonstrators raising concerns about conservation, transparency and the project’s links to the Trump family. The controversy has also put Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama under pressure, with protesters accusing his government of opening protected land to high-end tourism. What Is The Albania Resort Project? The proposed development includes a luxury beachfront project on Albania’s Mediterranean coastline and a resort on Sazan Island, an uninhabited island nearby. Ivanka Trump spoke about the project in an interview published on Sunday, calling it “the culmination of all of my experience in real estate". “It’s an unbelievable, beautiful 1,400-hectare private island in the middle of the Mediterranean," she said on David Senra’s podcast. She also described how she and Kushner first came across the area during a boat trip, saying they stopped for a swim, reached the island, hiked barefoot to the top and were “captivated".
The beachfront part of the project is linked to Zvernec, a protected coastal area on Albania’s Adriatic coast, where developers want to build high-end tourism facilities. The Albanian government gave preliminary approval to the Kushner-proposed Sazan Island project in late 2024. Why Are Albanians Protesting? The opposition is centred on fears that the project could damage one of the Mediterranean’s most ecologically important coastal stretches. Protesters and environmentalists say the land targeted for development includes centuries-old coastal dunes, lagoons, forests and marshlands that support diverse wildlife. Joni Vorpsi, a protester and member of the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania, described the project as a “wipeout of nature". Demonstrators have also criticised the lack of transparency around the project and the role of Affinity Partners, the private equity company Kushner set up after Trump lost the 2020 US presidential election. At Thursday’s protest, activist Sidorela Vatnikaj said demonstrators wanted to “abolish the project that was not public" and oppose what she described as a system in which “one autocrat can decide what he can do with our land and our rights". Some protest signs targeted Trump, Kushner and Rama, who is a member of Trump’s Board of Peace. One read, “Albania is not for sale," while another said, “No tourist paradise is built on destroyed lives." Why Is Zvernec Important? Zvernec is one of the coastal areas linked to the beachfront development planned along Albania’s Adriatic coast. The dispute is over whether protected land there should be opened for luxury tourism facilities. According to The Washington Post, that part of the Albanian coast had been off-limits to developers as a protected landscape. During a 2024 visit to the site, the newspaper found signs even prohibiting camping.
However, the Albanian government amended the law in 2024 to allow high-end tourism facilities of “5 stars or more" on such land. This legal change has become one of the key points of protest, with demonstrators demanding that the government roll back laws permitting construction on protected areas. How Has Albania’s Government Defended The Project? Prime Minister Rama has defended the project on social media and argued that Albania needs such investments to become a serious player in the luxury tourism market. He has said Albania, a former communist state, should not remain a low-cost destination while other parts of the Balkans benefit from high-end tourism. “We don’t want, and we can’t be a low-cost tourist destination," Rama said in 2023. “To put the record straight, what 400 yachts can generate is equal to what can be earned from 40,000 low-cost visitors." On Thursday, Rama posted a video of the firm he said had been contracted by “Zvernec investors" for landscape architecture. He said the team would “never bring negative consequences for nature" and would instead create “harmony" between nature and development. He also referred to investors’ “4 billion Euros" and said certain forces were trying to remove that investment from Albania’s hands. Why Is Jared Kushner’s Firm Under Scrutiny? Protesters are also asking for more clarity about Affinity Partners, Kushner’s private equity firm. According to the company’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Kushner obtained $3 billion in funding, including $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The Washington Post reported that while Kushner had initially suggested much of the money would go into development in Israel, he has since turned some attention to Balkan countries, including Serbia.
Late last year, Affinity Partners planned to help develop a $500 million luxury project in Serbia, involving a Trump-branded hotel, high-end apartments, stores and a museum on a former Yugoslav military headquarters in Belgrade. The firm later pulled out amid controversy over cultural heritage protections and allegations of corruption in Serbia, saying “meaningful projects should unite rather than divide". In a 2024 interview with The Post, Kushner acknowledged that he had benefited from relationships formed while in government but said he was not selling access. “A lot of people" leave government and “they kind of sell their services, you know, based on their relationships. I didn’t want to do that," Kushner said. “I’ve always been an investor." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: June 05, 2026, 13:12 IST News world Trump Family-Linked Resort In Albania Sparks Protests: Why Locals Are Opposing It Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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