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Arab News
19-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Jeddah by jet ski: How the Red Sea is powering Saudi Arabia's new tourism economy
RIYADH: Once a trading port and gateway to holy cities, Jeddah's Red Sea coast has transformed into a lively center for marine leisure, luxury tourism, and major yachting and water sports events. This shift shows Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 diversification plan in action, with private enterprise working alongside government-led reforms to help deliver new economic developments. In 2024, Jeddah's Red Sea tourism figures were robust, with the Jeddah Season attracting over 1.7 million visitors in 52 days, according to the Saudi Press Agency. This came as the Kingdom as a whole saw a record 30 million inbound tourists in 2024, an 8 percent increase from 2023, with a total inbound tourism spending of SR168.5 billion ($44 million), up 19 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Tourism. How the Red Sea coastline in Jeddah changed into a key hub for marine leisure activities Developments on hand are part of a larger coastal regeneration plan aimed at establishing Jeddah as a key gateway between the Red Sea and global destinations. According to Samir Imran, partner at Arthur D. Little Middle East, the Red Sea Global resort is expanding its eco-development along the Red Sea coast, focusing on regenerative tourism, coral reef preservation, and high-end hospitality, noting that resorts like Sheybarah, Six Senses, and Desert Rock are already open, with more set to launch soon. 'Modern Waterfront & Marinas: Jeddah's 4.2 km Corniche Waterfront was completely redeveloped and opened, providing parks, beaches, promenades and recreational facilities. Now named the Roshn Waterfront, this seaside promenade attracts over 55 million visitors each year who come to exercise and enjoy Red Sea views,' Imran said. He explained that the Jeddah Yacht Club & Marina, which opened in 2022, is Saudi Arabia's first luxury tourist marina, offering 101 deep-water berths, superyacht services, and positioning Jeddah as a key hub for the Kingdom's growing tourism sector. Similarly, PwC Middle East Partner and Global Tourism Industry Lead, Nicolas Mayer, elaborated on how Jeddah's Red Sea coast has become a top tourism destination, offering a mix of heritage, culture, and marine leisure that appeals to today's experience-driven travelers. 'There's also been rapid growth in nature-based activities. Snorkeling, fishing trips, and coral reef tours now feature alongside kayaking, bird watching, and excursions into the coastal wetlands. These options open the door to everything from a morning adventure to a multi-day itinerary,' Mayer said. 'What makes Jeddah special is how well all of this comes together. You can start your day in a historic district and end it on a jet ski or dining seaside. For many visitors, this mix of experiences is what makes Jeddah feel like a real destination, not just a single attraction,' he added. How the Saudi Vision 2030 is influencing the coastal renaissance in Jeddah Jeddah's marine luxury growth stems from the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which drives tourism, economic diversification, and quality of life, with the coastline showcasing these efforts. From Arthur D. Little's side, Imran explained that Saudi Arabia has introduced major regulatory reforms to boost marine tourism, including tourist e-visas, lifting the ban on foreign-flagged yachts, and establishing the Red Sea Authority to issue licenses and oversee the sector's growth. 'By establishing defined entry points with customs facilities and streamlining yacht permit procedures, the Kingdom eliminated longstanding barriers, making it more accessible and connected to the global community,' he said. The partner went on to say that under Vision 2030, the nation has heavily invested in the area's tourism infrastructure, including the Jeddah Central Project, backed by the Public Investment Fund, which is expected to feature a new waterfront, marina, beaches, and cultural landmarks by 2027. At the same time, the government is encouraging private-sector participation through regulatory reforms and incentives, leading to partnerships like Cruise Saudi and MSC Cruises, all aimed at transforming Jeddah into a global marine tourism hub. He added that the area's coastal transformation is fueling Saudi Arabia's tourism boom. As marine attractions grow, so does local spending and job creation, with Red Sea tourism expected to add SR85 billion to gross domestic product and create 210,000 jobs by 2030. 'In Jeddah, one can already see the impact in the hospitality sector: dozens of new restaurants, cafes, and boutique hotels have sprung up along the revitalized Corniche, employing Saudi youth and diversifying the local economy,' Imran said. He concluded by saying that marine sports in Jeddah are boosting local talent, with over 1,000 Saudis trained in 2024 for roles like dive instructors and marina managers. Vision 2030 has also enabled women to join the sector, competing in sailing and powerboat racing. These efforts are creating a cycle of stronger infrastructure, workforce inclusion, and rising tourism. Additionally, Vision 2030 has driven Jeddah's shift from standalone projects to integrated coastal destinations, fostering long-term tourism growth and job creation. 'In Jeddah, we're seeing a sharp rise in new job categories tied to the marine economy. Tour operators, diving instructors, marina staff, fishing guides, and jet ski rental businesses are expanding fast. Yacht chartering and high-end marine hospitality are growing too,' PwC's Mayer said. He continued to stress that upscale waterfront dining is boosting demand for a wide range of hospitality roles, supported by local training programs. Meanwhile, the 'Umrah Plus' trend is encouraging religious visitors to extend their stays for cultural and leisure experiences, creating new jobs and aligning with Vision 2030's goals of economic diversification and investment in people. The future development of Jeddah's marine Arthur D. Little's Imran noted that Jeddah's Red Sea coast is set to strengthen its position as a marine luxury hub, combining heritage with modern coastal appeal. With strong infrastructure already in place, experts are optimistic about continued rapid growth. 'The Al-Arbaeen Lagoon revival, with its new yacht marina and 4.4 km park, is actively under construction in 2025. These will add capacity for more boats and more visitors. Cruise tourism is also ramping up, Jeddah's port is now a home base for Red Sea cruises, introducing yet another stream of maritime tourists exploring the coast,' he said. 'We can expect tourist volumes in Jeddah to keep climbing as air connectivity improves and as word spreads about its Red Sea treasures,' the ADL partner added. Private and global investors are playing a bigger role in Jeddah's tourism growth, aiming to serve 19 million coastal visitors by 2030, many from the region, Imran clarified. He noted that experts view Jeddah's Red Sea location as ideal for year-round yachting, positioning it as a strong alternative to winter destinations such as the Caribbean or Dubai. From PwC's perspective, Mayer justified that the Red Sea Authority will ensure future growth stays sustainable and coordinated, while the city's active private sector helps drive innovation and preserve its unique character. 'We'll likely see growth in multi-day yacht itineraries that link Jeddah to quieter parts of the coast. Cruise tourism might also become a bigger part of the mix, especially as infrastructure improves. Water taxis, floating hotels, and digitally enhanced marine experiences, like virtual dive guides, could help the city appeal to younger travelers and tech-savvy tourists,' Mayer said. He added: 'Jeddah also benefits from its position as both a cultural capital and a transit hub for religious tourism. That makes it a natural gateway. Travelers might start their trip with Umrah or a visit to Al-Balad and then head to the coast for a few days of nature and leisure.'
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Las Vegas Sands hopes to usher in ‘new era of luxury tourism' with a new $8 billion casino complex in Singapore
Las Vegas Sands is doubling down on its Singapore bet with a new $8 billion integrated resort, expanding its existing Marina Bay Sands casino complex in the Southeast Asian country. The U.S. casino operator broke ground on the site on Tuesday in a ceremony attended by CEO Robert Goldstein and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The project will feature a 55-storey hotel tower which will include other facilities like luxury boutiques, a casino, and a 15,000-seat arena. 'We have every intention of delivering a product that will be the envy of the hospitality industry and usher in a new era of luxury tourism in Singapore,' Goldstein said at the groundbreaking ceremony. The new tower will sit close to Las Vegas Sands' existing buildings in Singapore's southern Marina Bay Area. It will be designed by Safdie Architects, the firm behind the Marina Bay Sands. Las Vegas Sands opened its Singapore casino in 2010, and the resort has become an important part of the company's business, making up a significant share of the company's revenue. The casino operator reported $1.2 billion from its Singapore integrated resort for the first quarter of the year, compared to $1.7 billion for its five casinos in the Chinese city of Macau. Las Vegas Sands reported greater earnings before interest, taxes depreciation and amortization from its Singapore business, compared to Macau. Ranked no. 374 on the Fortune 500, Las Vegas Sands is one of the few companies on the ranking that makes most of its revenue outside of the U.S. The company completed the sale of its Las Vegas properties in 2022 to focus more on Asia. Singapore's travel market bounced back from COVID more quickly than Macau, which was subject to harsher travel restrictions. Chinese officials also cracked down on junket operators, which facilitated and organized casino trips for high rollers. Las Vegas Sands's Macau business has also struggled due to ongoing renovations at the Londoner, one of its resorts based in the Chinese city. Yet Las Vegas Sands thinks Singapore's success is more to do with the country's appeal rather than Chinese weakness. Chief operating officer Patrick Dumont, in an earnings briefing to analysts earlier this year, said Singapore has a 'rarefied air' that attracts 'the highest level of high-value tourism.' Shares in Las Vegas Sands are flat for the year thus far, recoving from lows in early April. Shares in Sands China, a subsidiary that operates the company's Macau casinos, are down 5.8% over the same period. S&P Global expects a surge in Chinese tourists to markets like Singapore and Malaysia to sustain the premium gambling market this year. Singapore is making a big play for 'MICE' travelers, or those attending business meetings, conventions and exhibitions. The Marina Bay Sands complex hosted 2,200 events last year, drawing 1.2 million delegates. The city has also successfully attracted high-profile artists like Coldplay, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, oftentimes being their only Southeast Asian stop. Singapore's success with gambling contrasts with its Southeast Asian neighbors, who are pulling back on plans to set up their own casinos. Thailand last week withdrew a draft law that would have allowed the country's first casinos, citing a need for more public engagement. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Six great reads: Trump Island, Albania; DB Cooper revisited; and Alanis oughta know
Our books team packed for the beach to compile their essential list of summer reading: from novels by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Alan Hollinghurst to memoirs by Cher and Manhattan enfant terrible restaurateur Keith McNally, there's something for everyone. Plus they also rounded up the best new paperbacks and children's fiction. Put those screens away! Read more 'On Sazan, a small island off the coast of Albania, the landscape is Jurassic. Ferns, giant lavender, plumbago, rosemary, broom and laurels grow on the mountain at its centre. The view from the top, with its dramatic sunsets, is dizzyingly beautiful. Albanians call Sazan Ishulli i Trumpëve – Trump Island. Until now mostly untrammelled by development, it is on the verge of becoming a mecca for ultra-luxury tourism, another addition to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's real-estate portfolio … ' The pair have spent more than $1bn on an Albanian island that will be a luxury resort – once the unexploded ordnance has been removed. Marzio Mian travelled to Sazan to see how the developers' amibitions intersect with a bigger geopolitical picture. Read more It's one of the most famous missing persons cases in history: in 1971, a man held a plane to ransom for $200,000, then parachuted out in his suit and dress shoes, never to be seen again. What happened to him? Daniel Lavelle took a fresh look at a mystery that still has people scrabbling for answers – as well as a Manhattan dive bar dedicated to it. Read more She made her name with rage-fuelled anthems – and sold 75m records in the process. Speaking to Charlotte Edwardes ahead of her set at Glastonbury on Friday evening, the California-dwelling earth mother explained why she's ready to let rip again … Read more Can you imagine Liverpool without its Welsh Streets or London without Battersea Power Station? For 50 years, writes our architecture critic Oliver Wainwright, one small band of activists have been finding creative alternative uses for great buildings their owners couldn't see. Read more 'I started to notice my interruptions, the creative ways I managed to bring the conversation back to my favourite topic: me. I noticed how, in lieu of listening, my mind would embark on wild and weird adventures, fighting against the odds to relate everything back to my experience. My partner recalled the time that I said, to my embarrassment: 'That reminds me of me.' Ioan Marc Jones did his bit to end the plague of mansplaining, manologuing and bropriating … by shutting up himself Read more
The Guardian
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Five Great Reads: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, a mysterious skyjacker, and Albania's Trump Island
Happy Saturday! The world felt like a scary place this week, but these five reads kept me going – as did the campaigners who forced Jeff Bezos to relocate his wedding in Venice. If only we got the inflatable crocodiles – but at least there was a Bezos lookalike confusing the crowds. Continuing with the theme of the rich, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have spent more than $1bn on an Albanian island – one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean. Unlike in Venice, the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, has welcomed the purchase of Sazan Island, saying 'We need luxury tourism like a desert needs water.' Albanians call Sazan Ishulli i Trumpëve – Trump Island. Until now mostly untrammelled by development, the island, which was once home to a military base, is on the verge of becoming a mecca for ultra-luxury tourism – once the unexploded ordnance has been removed. Environmental concerns: Environmentalists such as Olsi Nika, a marine biologist and the director of the NGO EcoAlbania, are worried about the development. 'This area is in the Karaburun-Sazan maritime national park. It means the beaches and waters within 2km (1.25 miles) of the shore are protected. What will large public works, the building of docks, yacht traffic and sewage run-off do to the place?' How long will it take to read: five minutes. It's been hard to shake the image that the character Lena Dunham's landmark series, Girls, gave Allison Williams. In this interview, the actor reflects on privilege, growing up with a famous parent, and her role in sci-fi horror film M3gan. What does she think of AI, tech and parenting? Williams recounts using ChatGPT to answer one of her three-year-old son's questions. 'Watching what happened to his face was like when Gemma sees her niece interacting with M3gan. Like, I have connected my kid to a drug, this is so immediately addictive and intoxicating,' she says. She quickly put her phone away and made a mental note to go to the library next time to get out a book. 'I can't justify it, logically,' she says. 'It just felt like an innate instinct.' And her thoughts on Botox? She loves having it when she's not filming – 'because, you know, you need to make facial expressions when you're shooting'. How long will it take to read: five minutes. Further reading: if you want to be really terrified, read what Paula Cocozza learned recording thousands of hours of teenagers on their phones. This year marks 80 years since the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people. Today, every one of the crew members who carried out the bombings is dead. One of the last writers to interview them reopens his files. 'Just in the last week, war has broken out in the Middle East over fears that Iran may be very close to having a bomb. In such times, perspective matters … History has lessons to teach us.'. How long will it take to read: 11 minutes. Further reading: one million and counting: Russian casualties hit milestone in Ukraine war. Sign up to Five Great Reads Each week our editors select five of the most interesting, entertaining and thoughtful reads published by Guardian Australia and our international colleagues. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Saturday morning after newsletter promotion On 24 November 1971, a man who called himself 'Dan Cooper' hijacked a plane for US$200,000. He then parachuted out in his suit and dress shoes, never to be seen again. 'It's like the best book I've ever read, but I'm missing the first and last chapters,' podcaster Darren Schaefer tells writer Daniel Lavelle, who both potentially suffer from the 'Cooper curse' (a term coined by author Geoffrey Gray about being totally obsessed with the case). I've personally still got whiplash from the opening of this story. DB Cooper effect: the mind-boggling mystery has inspired news article after article, books, podcasts, movies, documentaries, even a DB Cooper-themed bar – and an annual convention held in Oregon. How long will it take to read: five-and-a-half minutes. Imagine performing at an theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, that was built between AD98-117 in 'Europe's longest continually inhabited city'. Or a former panopticon Lukiškės prison in Vilnius, Lithuania, or the Lycabettus hill theatre in Athens. Laura Snapes takes us inside Australia's experimental rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard's European residency tour, where the group of six don't rehearse and but do make time to be tourists in the cities they perform in. Photography: Maclay Heriot captures it all on film. Hot tip: throw on the band's existential new record in the background while reading. How long will it take to read: five minutes. Enjoying the Five Great Reads email? Then you'll love our weekly culture and lifestyle newsletter, Saved for Later. Sign up here to catch up on the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture, trends and tips for the weekend. And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters.
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- The Guardian
Sold to the Trump family: one of the last undeveloped islands in the Mediterranean
On Sazan, a small island off the coast of Albania, the landscape is Jurassic. Ferns, giant lavender, plumbago, rosemary, broom and laurels grow on the mountain at its centre. The view from the top, with its dramatic sunsets, is dizzyingly beautiful. Albanians call Sazan Ishulli i Trumpëve – Trump Island. Until now mostly untrammelled by development, it is on the verge of becoming a mecca for ultra-luxury tourism, another addition to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's real-estate portfolio. Speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast in July 2024, Trump could barely conceal her excitement: 'I'm working with my husband, we have this 1,400-acre island in the Mediterranean and we're bringing in the best architects and the best brands,' she said. 'It's going to be extraordinary.' When I reached Kushner by phone the same month, I detected brimming enthusiasm for Sazan, which he seemed to regard as something of a treasure. He said he plans 'to create the ideal resort that I'd want to be at with my family and with my friends'. Before I visited the island, I marvelled at the thought of traversing its roughly 40 miles of trails, climbing its mountains covered in rainforest and exploring its deep waterways with names such as the Bay of Paradise, Hell's Gorge, Devil's Gulf and Admiral's Beach. I wanted to see it before the phrase 'I'm going to Sazan' becomes the prerogative of the rich. When I got there, on a clear day in July 2024, I found that the island doesn't lend itself to getting lost: it is covered in signs depicting skull and crossbones, warning of landmines. My guide, Arbër Celaj, a lieutenant commander in the Albanian navy, stopped me from venturing too far. He did not want to get a dressing down from his superiors. Sazan lies between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea, strategically positioned at the entrance to the bay of Vlorë, in the strait of Otranto that separates Italy from Albania. But as Celaj explained, 'Sazan's climate is not Mediterranean – it's subtropical. You can see from the vegetation. The biodiversity is crazy.' Indeed, the brush seemed to have emerged from Spielberg's computer, giving rise to a jungle of colossal ash trees, hornbeams, maritime pines and holm oaks. Unable to stray off the beaten path, I made do with glimpses of carpets of rare ferns and valleys of tall grass sloping down to turquoise waters. It was like standing at the dawn of time, watching the landscape be created. Kushner was also speechless when he first saw it in 2021, he told me: 'I was just very surprised that something like that existed in the middle of the Mediterranean and hadn't been developed.' Preliminary approval from the Albanian government for Kushner's project came on 30 December 2024. I last spoke to Kushner and his associate Asher Abehsera, the CEO and cofounder with Kushner of Affinity Global Development, in July 2024. Jonathan Gasthalter, the spokesperson for Affinity Partners, a Miami-based firm belonging to Kushner managing $4.6bn in assets, did not respond to multiple emails and text messages asking for comment from Kushner or Abehsera on updates to the real-estate project. Implausibly, Sazan's environment owes a lot to communism. During its communist era, from 1946 to 1991, Albania was known as Europe's North Korea and Sazan became a symbol of extreme isolation: an inaccessible military fortress that dictator Enver Hoxha, who feared the country would fall prey to a superpower, imagined could help defend them against an attack from Nato or members of the Warsaw Pact. For decades, soldiers stationed on the island waited for such an attack, scanning the horizon, listening for the submarine that sooner or later would emerge from the depths of the Adriatic. There was a military base on the island, with living quarters, a theatre, a school and a hospital. By the 1970s, about 150 military families lived on the island without contact with the mainland. 'But they were privileged. They had food, clothing, education, appliances,' Celaj told me. The waiting only ended with the fall of the regime in 1991. Walking along a trail with my guide, we came across several bomb shelters and tunnels designed to store supplies and ammunition or act as hideouts in the event of a guerrilla war against the imperial invaders. Celaj told me there are about 10 miles of tunnels, now mostly inhabited by bats, vipers and wild rabbits. There are about 3,600 bunkers on Sazan, armoured concrete mushrooms emerging from the vegetation or perched on mountaintops like lookouts against phantom American aircraft carriers or Soviet frigates. Some will be preserved and integrated into the new real-estate project, according to Kushner. I asked my guide about the signs warning of landmines. 'Actually, they're not exactly landmines,' he said. 'This place is full of unexploded ordnance, there are still many areas that need to be cleared.' He pointed to a ravine on the eastern coast, where Affinity Partners wants to develop a significant part of the real-estate project that will span the entire surface of the island. 'The [unexploded ordnance are] remnants of the 1990s,' Celaj went on, 'when criminals attacked the island right under the noses of the military, looting the weapons and ammunition depots.' The enemy had come in the end, but in small makeshift vessels and speaking the same language as the soldiers. These days, the island is controlled by Albanian armed forces. It is patrolled by three sailors, who walk back and forth between the rusty and ramshackle docks on the gulf of San Nicolo (the port where Affinity will build the main marina for the yachts, according to Abehsera). Albania has risen to the top of some of the most prestigious travel rankings in recent years, largely thanks to the prime minister, Edi Rama, who has turned the country into an economic tiger of the Balkans. I asked Rama if he worried about any political complications relating to the new real-estate project. He told me his country 'can't afford not to exploit a gift like Sazan', adding: 'We need luxury tourism like a desert needs water.' He isn't afraid of courting controversy, either, especially 'if it helps draw attention and bring investment'. Rama has been 'a great partner' and is very forward thinking, according to Kushner. 'The government's clearly seen that it can be something,' he told me during our conversation in July 2024. 'They're building an airport right there [in the Vlöre area].' Albania isn't Kushner's only target: he is also interested in Serbia, where Affinity Partners plans to turn the former defence ministry building in Belgrade into a luxury hotel. Affinity's business broker in the region is the former US ambassador Richard Grenell, who served as Trump's special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations between 2019 and 2021. According to the New York Times, while Grenell was special envoy, he pushed a related plan that Serbia and the US jointly redevelop the former defence ministry. He has since joined forces with Kushner on the new development deal, and is now a partner in Affinity. (Kushner told me it was Grenell who first suggested he invest in Albania.) Serbia's president, the opportunistic Aleksandar Vučić, saw in Grenell and Kushner a chance to get close to Trump should he win reelection, according to the Financial Times. Vučić is, in fact, playing a dangerous game: as well as cosying up to Trump's acolytes, he has refused to impose sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. In May 2024, he rolled out the red carpet for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose government has made major investments in new infrastructure in Serbia, Reuters reported. All the while, Vučić continues to express his desire to join the EU but refuses to meet Brussels' main condition: recognising the borders and independence of Kosovo. When I spoke to Rama, the Albanian premier, I asked what role American investment played in geopolitics. He replied that it was just business, but didn't deny it could advance a broader political strategy. 'We must keep Serbia in the western sphere and get it out from under Moscow's thumb,' he said. In an interview with the Financial Times in July 2024, Grenell, too, said investments like the real-estate deal to take over the former defence ministry are meant to bring Serbia closer to the US. Kushner, who served as a senior adviser to Trump from 2017 to 2021, denied using his position to advance any plans to develop Sazan when we spoke in July 2024. 'I never met Prime Minister Rama when I was in government,' Kushner told me. 'But even if I had, it's not a conflict of interest. People who serve in government, they build different relationships.' He claimed that interest in Serbia and Albania 'is going up tremendously' as a result of his company's real-estate deals. Negotiations with Affinity about the sale of Sazan were kept secret. Residents and parliamentarians were not aware of the $1.4bn deal until it was published in the papers. Mirela Kumbaro, Albania's minister for tourism and the environment, defended Rama's decision to strike a deal with Kushner's company, which was heavily criticised by the opposition. 'We can't compete with Italy, Croatia and Greece in the mass tourism industry. We don't have enough infrastructure or experience,' she told me. 'We have to focus on quality. On value over volume. More profits and fewer problems.' Nearly 12 million foreign visitors travelled to Albania in 2024, a 15% increase on the previous year, according to local media. That's 'too many for us, and too much pollution', Kumbaro said. 'Sazan is the way to go. The ideal recipe: nature and luxury tourism.' She was enthusiastic about the project, explaining that Affinity is working closely with the government agency in charge of strategic investments, meaning those that exceed €15m. The trade-off is substantial: zero taxes during the construction phase and the state takes care of all infrastructure, including water, electricity and sewage, according to Kumbaro. Everything else – the sun, the sea, the monk seals and the subtropical jungle – is already there. That is precisely what worries environmentalists such as Olsi Nika, a marine biologist and the director of the NGO EcoAlbania. 'This area is in the Karaburun-Sazan maritime national park. It means the beaches and waters within 2km (1.25 miles) of the shore are protected. What will large public works, the building of docks, yacht traffic and sewage run-off do to the place?' Abehsera, from Affinity, told me the company had hired the global sustainable development firm Arup as a consultant on the project. 'Their practice is principally focused on really accentuating and respecting the local ecology and the environment,' he said. Kushner, too, had an answer at the ready. 'When people announce a development, everyone gets scared,' he said in July 2024. 'Everybody assumes the worst. But once they see the plans we have, the way we're designing it, the way we're being faithful and considerate of the environment around us, I think that people will be very, very pleased. And again, with developments, you never make everyone happy.' When I met Abehsera for lunch in Vlöre in August 2024, he gave me a preview of the plans for the island's development. The hotel, he said, would be a 'jewel on the Mediterranean', the answer to people who ask, 'What have I not seen yet?' The design of the hotel would not 'impose' on nature; the buildings would be 'sculpted or even scalloped by nature'. It will feel 'more like you're nestled in a beautiful tree'. I was having difficulty following. I asked him whether the island would remain accessible to normal people, to locals who want to make use of its beaches. 'I think everyone should have the opportunity to visit the island,' he told me. Kushner was more sceptical. 'We're creating a very high-end luxury product,' he told me. 'One of the most compelling points about the island is just the ability to have privacy … But I also think there are certain aspects of the island we can build out that will give people the opportunity to come visit and enjoy some of the food and the trails.' I thought back to my afternoon with Celaj. He'd told me that until a few years ago, soldiers on patrol would sometimes report seeing a little grey donkey among the wild fig trees in a clearing or in Hell's Gorge. Then it would just disappear. I wondered if it was just a legend, or if the grey donkey died along with the mystery of the island, the last bastion of wilderness in the Mediterranean, conquered, in the end, without a single shot being fired. All it took was for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to climb out of a helicopter and say, 'Wow!' This piece was originally published on Reportagen and the Dial. Translation by Elettra Pauletto Listen to our podcasts here and sign up to the long read weekly email here.
