Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner eye protected Albanian coast for luxury resort, sparking protests

A podcast clip about Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's proposed luxury resort in Albania is bringing attention to protests over building on protected coastal land.

What began as a story about a vacation discovery has become part of a much larger fight over public land, wildlife habitat, and who gets to shape the country's future.

What happened?

Trump, the businesswoman and daughter of President Donald Trump, told podcaster David Senra that she and her husband, investor Kushner, first came across Sazan Island while swimming from a friend's boat in the Adriatic Sea.

"We swam to the island," she said. "We went on a hike barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated, and it stayed with us ever since."

According to NPR, that visit led to a resort proposal in Zvérnec, on the coast facing the island. The plan has since sparked daily protests outside Prime Minister Edi Rama's office in Tirana.

"Not only the island, but we have five miles of beachfront directly across from the island," Trump said in the podcast, describing "this beautiful peninsula with a lagoon on one side, the ocean on the other, and beautiful white sand beaches."

Opponents say the site is an environmentally sensitive landscape. It lies within the Vjosë-Nartë protected area, which includes lagoons, salt flats, and habitat for hundreds of bird species.

Why does it matter?

The issue extends well beyond a single high-end resort. The broader concern is whether a fragile ecosystem and public shoreline will be remade into a site for wealthy visitors.

The Albanian Ornithological Society has recorded 250 bird species in the Nartë Lagoon, its head, Taulant Bino, said.

"Birds are the first to suffer," he told NPR, warning that roadbuilding during breeding season would be "horrendous."

He also pushed back on the idea that the proposal was limited in scope, saying, "What we see from the project ideas, we see tall buildings, up to 10,000 rooms, so all of this is for a new city rather than an environmental project."

Lawyer Dorian Matlija said the site is covered by international protections connected to the European Union's Natura 2000 network.

He also argued that a 2024 law allowing five-star hotel development there could hurt Albania's long-running effort to join the EU.

The project faces added uncertainty after anti-corruption prosecutors froze bank accounts connected to a company involved in coastal land purchases.

What are people saying?

Some of the strongest opposition is coming from Albanians who say the project threatens both the natural landscape and the public's access to it.

"We're tired of these guys stealing from us. Stealing our resources. Selling things that are not theirs to sell," protester Eden Hosha told NPR.

Albi Batozi, a 34-year-old software engineer who grew up visiting the beach, was similarly blunt, saying: "I don't want anyone to build here because this is our land. Public land is for everybody, not for just the small 1% of people."

The prime minister's office defended the effort, stating, per NPR, "The ambition is to create a new benchmark for sustainable Mediterranean development."

Opponents say that promise rings hollow if it comes at the expense of wildlife, open shoreline, and a more equitable future for local communities.

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