Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump Choose Sicily Over Albania as Sazan Island Resort Project Faces Protests

 SICILY, Italy – Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have turned their attention to Italy this summer, sharing family vacation photos from Sicily instead of Albania, where their planned luxury tourism projects have become the center of public debate.

 Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump shared family vacation photos from Taormina, Sicily, shifting their summer focus away from Albania amid ongoing public debate over planned luxury tourism projects.

The couple recently posted images on Instagram from their family holiday in Taormina, Sicily, together with their two sons. According to Sicilian media reports, the family arrived by yacht, anchored between Naxos and Villagonia, stayed at the historic Grand Hotel Timeo, and had previously attended the Google Camp event in Sciacca.

  Ivanka Trump enjoying a family holiday on a yacht in Taormina, Sicily, as the family focuses their summer travels on the Italian coast rather than Albania.

Ivanka Trump, known for her interest in books and photography, reportedly praised the Sicilian landscape and culture, similar to the appreciation she had previously expressed for Albania’s coastline.

However, unlike previous visits since 2022, when the couple shared images from Sazan Island and Vlora, this time their public presence was focused on the Italian coast.

The change has sparked questions on social media: Have Kushner and Ivanka moved away from Albania, and if so, why?

Previous Albania Visits and Sazan Island Development Plans

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have visited Albania several times in recent years. Their meetings with Prime Minister Edi Rama and visits to Vlora and Sazan Island were presented as part of a new investment relationship connected to luxury tourism development.

Their most recent documented visit was in January 2026, when Ivanka Trump met with architects and Albanian officials in Vlora regarding plans for the luxury resort project. Initial preparations for the development had already begun.

The project connected to Kushner's Affinity Partners includes plans involving Sazan Island and the protected Zvërnec-Nartë coastal area, locations considered among Albania’s most valuable natural zones.

Protests and Public Debate in Albania

Since late May 2026, opposition to aspects of the development plans has become one of the issues cited by protesters during nationwide demonstrations, including what has been referred to as the “Flamingo Revolution.”

Thousands of citizens have gathered in Tirana and southern Albania, raising concerns about environmental protection, public property, and the management of strategic coastal areas.

Demonstrators have emphasized that their criticism is not directed against tourism development itself, nor specifically against Kushner, Ivanka Trump, or former U.S. President Donald Trump, but against decisions regarding the use of protected and public spaces.

For now, neither Jared Kushner nor Ivanka Trump has publicly indicated that they have abandoned their Albania-related investment plans. Their choice of Sicily as a vacation destination has nevertheless fueled renewed discussion about the future of the controversial projects.