The Albanian government has approved Jared Kushner’s request to develop the uninhabited island of Sazan (pictured) as a luxury resort called “Sazan Island Touristic Resort”, granting him strategic investor status.
The decision states that the planned investment, worth €1.4 billion, meets the criteria of Albanian legislation on strategic investments, given that 1,000 people are expected to be employed during the works. Sazan Island has an area of five square kilometers and is located approximately 30 kilometers from Vlora, near the Strait of Otranto.
It is uninhabited and has no fresh water, but it was used as a military base, first by Italy before World War II, then by the communist regime in Albania, and again by Italy in the late 1990s to crack down on human trafficking operations from Albania to Italy. It had around 3,000 machine guns, underground tunnels, and underground facilities over several kilometers, as well as nuclear shelters.
Although the remains of the Italian and Albanian military fortresses have made Sazan a tourist attraction, visited by many tourists by ship and boat from Vlora during the summer, the island formally remained a military base until December 2024, when its status was changed by presidential decree.
Finally, it is noted that Mr. Kushner also proposed the redevelopment of the Zvernec area on the Albanian coast, which falls within the Narte-Zvernec environmentally protected area. It is noted that Mr. Kushner is Donald Trump’s son-in-law and the investment will be implemented by his interest company Atlantic Incubation Partners LLC.
(*) Information comes from the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs in Tirana.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
