Albania Approves $4.6 Billion Coastal Tourism Project by Jared Kushner

One component lies near the Narta Lagoon, a designated wildlife reserve.

An investment firm linked to Kushner received special investor status from Albanian authorities. Since late May, excavators have cleared access routes, removed sand and vegetation, and installed fencing at the site. Ivanka Trump told podcaster David Senra this week that the family discovered the location while boating.

“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,” she said.

Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the project, stating that Albania has 450 kilometers of largely undeveloped coastline that remained pristine under decades of communist rule. He described the venture as part of the country’s effort to expand high-end tourism and advance its bid for European Union membership. The government maintains that the land is privately owned.

Albania’s state anti-corruption agency confirmed it has opened an investigation related to the project. Environmental groups from Albania and other European countries have raised concerns about potential impacts on protected migratory species, including pink flamingos that use the Narta Lagoon area as a stopover along the Adriatic flyway.