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In the heart of the Mediterranean, a Albanian island that was closed to the world for decades by its military past, is about to transform into one of the destinations more exclusive on the planet.
The Trump family, through Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, has bought Sazan, a small island of just over 5.7 square kilometers in front of the coast of Albania and its intention is to turn it into A luxury shelter Only suitable for millionaires.
The operation, valued at more than one billion euros, has caught international attention not only for the magnitude of the investment, but for the symbolism that An ancient communist fort become the new whim of 1% richer of the world population.
A past of bunkers and communist paranoia
In 2021, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ran into Sazan during a yacht holiday for the Gulf of Vallea, just 30 kilometers from the city of Vlora in Albania.
As the millionaire counted in the podcast De Lex Fridman, both were fascinated by the island’s sunrises and for their intact landscape covered with ferns, lavender, broom and laurel. That is why the couple decided to bet strongly on this corner Virgen del Mediterraneo. Shortly after, they closed the purchase of those 567 hectares uninhabited for just over one billion euros.
However, Sazan was not always the uninhabited paradise that is today. Such and as they counted in The Guardianduring The communist regime of Inver Hoxha, that governed Albania Between 1944 and 1985, the island was a Strategic military enclave isolated from the continent and inhabited by about 150 military families.
The Albanian ruler lived obsessed with the idea of an imperialist invasion of its territory, so it ordered to pierce the entrails of the island with about 16 kilometers of tunnels and build around 3,600 concrete bunkers, which still splashed the landscape as scars of that time.
The military and their families lived virtually incommunicado, surrounded by fortifications and underground supplies and always vigilant views waiting for some enemy submarine to emerge with bad intentions. The island It was used For the Italian Finanza Guard in the 1990s to combat drug trafficking and people, and it was not until December 2024 when he officially left be a military base.
The importance of being called Trump
The Trump family project would not have been possible without the determined support of the Tirana government. According to Posted by La Prensa Albansa, Prime Minister Edi Rama has publicly defended the initiative as a strategic opportunity for the country.
“We cannot allow ourselves not to take advantage of a gift. Albania needs luxury tourism as the desert needs water,” Rama said, underlining the importance of attracting international investments and positioning Albania as high -level tourist destination.
The Government has granted Affinity Partners, managed by Donald Trump’s son -in luxury shelter Reserved for Millionaires.
This status implies tax advantages, support in public infrastructure and an accelerated processing of permits and regulations. The project provides for the creation of about 1,000 direct jobs, a relevant figure for the local economy in which, According to data of the ‘World Tourism Barometer‘From 2024, Albania earns greater importance as a holiday destination.
As They point from Bloomberg, it is not strange that the Trump family has obtained green light for this project right now that the patriarch of the clan occupies the oval office of the White House.
Luxury, exclusivity and environmental controversy
The project ‘Sazan Island Touristic Resort‘promises to transform the island into a private paradise, with Villas embedded in the cliffsfive -star hotels backed by the prestigious chain Aman, and a coast reserved only for the activities of the most exclusive guests.
The design is designed to attract a clientele willing to pay fortunes for privacy and personalized services. According to the Plans presentedin the first phase only 45 of the 567 hectares will be urbanized, maintaining the rest of the island and its hiking trails as a protected environment.
The first project designs show a constructed villas complex respecting the steep orography of the island, and integrating them into the environment so that the landscape and local flora are altered as little as possible.
However, since it is a protected natural enclave, the project is not exempt from controversy. Environmental groups have raised the voice Against the transformation of Sazanarguing that “the island is a natural enclave that must be preserved” and warning of the ecological impact that the massive arrival of yachts and tourists of high purchasing power will have.
“This area is in the Karaburun-Sazan Maritime Park. This means that beaches and waters within a radius of the coast are protected. What consequences will great public works, the construction of docks, yacht traffic and wastewater discharge in this place? ” Olsi NikaMarina Biologist and director of the NGO Ecoalbania to The Guardian.
In addition, before the Ishulli I Trumpëve (Trump Island), as the locals already call it, can open its doors, it will be necessary The invasion would arrive aboard huge supereyates and armed with huge bundles of tickets in the pockets.
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Image | Genesis Studio
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