Why |Trump's son-in-law Kushner is sinking billions in Albanian toursm projects

Over the past three years, a group of investors has poured $170 million into transforming a former military airstrip into an international airport in the city of Vlora, Albania’s second-largest port. Flights are expected to start this summer, and the airport is expected to be fully commercial by the end of the year.

The airport is a strategic investment to boost tourism in the so-called Albanian Riviera and surrounding areas.The aim is to facilitate access to the southern part of Albania’s 500-kilometer coastline, which has recently become a tourist hot spot. Tourists are lured by cheaper prices and the prospect of exploring a new place compared to neighboring Greece or Croatia, according to Bloomberg.The new airport is part of a broader strategic effort to reshape Vlora as a high-end tourism destination.

A short distance from the city is the island of Sazan, where Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, is planning to develop a luxury resort worth $1.4 billion.The airport, located just 10 kilometers from the city of Vlora, is expected to help relieve congestion at Tirana Airport, which handled 10.7 million passengers last year — more than three times the pre-pandemic level.

As Tirana is now reaching its capacity limits, the government is making efforts to develop coastal areas such as Vlora. Although areas like this have long been valued for their natural beauty, they have remained largely unknown to the general public for decades due to a lack of international transport networks.

“Albania, which remained isolated for decades under communist rule, has accelerated its transition to modernization over the past 12 years under Prime Minister Edi Rama. Ambitious investments in tourism, infrastructure and the energy sector have boosted the economy, helping to improve living standards. However, the country remains one of the poorest in Europe, leading to a mass exodus of scientists and workers abroad. As a result, its population has declined by about 20% during Rama’s term.

In December 2019, the government granted a 35-year license to design, build and operate Vlora Airport to a consortium led by Behxhet Pacolli, a Kosovar businessman with Swiss citizenship who served as president of his homeland for less than two months.Tourism is a key contributor to the country’s economy, accounting for about 20% of its gross domestic product.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, one in five Albanians works in this sector.Vlora plays a leading role in Prime Minister Edi Rama’s vision to transform Albania into a popular tourist destination in the European tourism market.In this context, the new 3.2-kilometer runway has been designed to accommodate large aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330, making the airport one of the few in the region that can handle long-haul flights."This airport is an important step towards a new era of development and extroversion," Edi Rama said during his visit to the construction site last month.