Jared Kushner’s Venture Sparks an Uprising in Albania

It had all started so well. The Sazan-Zvërnec project, backed by the Albanian government and led by the investment fund Affinity Partners, aimed to transform Albania into a new high-end tourist destination. As Donald Trump’s son-in-law, billionaire Jared Kushner wanted to develop one of Europe’s most ambitious hotel complexes there, whilst Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has for several years aimed to turn the country into a hub for luxury tourism. The intentions appeared to complement one another. However, a few months after its launch, the Sazan-Zvërnec property development sparked an unprecedented wave of protests.

At the heart of the project lies Sazan Island, a former military base situated at the entrance to Vlora Bay, as well as the Zvërnec lagoon, near the Vjosa-Narta protected park. Backed by the Albanian government, the development project was granted strategic investment status in 2025. Its value is estimated at between €1.4 and €1.6 billion, with plans for several thousand rooms, private villas, a marina and high-end facilities aimed at a wealthy international clientele, as well as a possible partnership with Aman Resorts.

The project is led by Affinity Partners, a company founded in 2021 by Jared Kushner following his departure from the White House. The fund manages between $4.8 and $5.4 billion in assets, primarily financed by capital from the Gulf, notably from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The US firm’s strategy is to identify assets with strong potential for appreciation by targeting emerging markets.

For Albania, whose GDP stands at around €25 billion, an investment of this scale represents more than 5% of annual national wealth. Rama’s government believes the project could boost tax revenues, support the local property market and, above all, accelerate the upscaling of the tourism sector, which already accounts for around a fifth of the national GDP.

Since early June, protests have intensified across the country, drawing several thousand people in Tirana and other cities, in what the media have now dubbed the “flamingo revolution”. The movement is denouncing the development of an area considered one of the last remaining unspoilt ecosystems on the Adriatic. Opponents highlight the presence of over 200 bird species, including the iconic flamingos, which inhabit the coastal marshes.

Beyond the environmental stakes, the anger centres on the lack of transparency surrounding the massive property development. Protesters accuse the government of facilitating the project by amending local environmental protection laws and denounce opaque land acquisition procedures. For Edi Rama, re-elected in 2025 for a fourth term, the project’s success is strategic.

The head of government had made opening up to international capital and premium tourism one of the pillars of his economic strategy. Porto Montenegro Marina, established in the neighbouring country by Canadian billionaire Peter Munk and later bought out by funds from Dubai, had clearly inspired the Albanian leader, demonstrating how investors viewed the eastern Adriatic as one of the last Mediterranean territories still offering significant potential for value creation.

Albania was thus set to take up the torch as a new luxury destination. Until this unexpected popular uprising.