Abandoned Albanian island used during WWII to become £1.2billion resort

A TINY island in Albania is set to become a luxury resort.

A request has been approved to transform the uninhabited island of Sazan, found in the Balkan Peninsula, into a sought out holiday destination.

The request was made by , the son-in-law of in March 2024.

His plans to turn the island into a holiday resort are estimated to cost €1.4billion (£1.2billion).

A government decision regarding the island reads: “The projected investment of ‘Sazan Island Touristic Resort’ of €1.4 billion fulfils the criteria foreseen in the legislation on strategic investments.

“The projected investment fulfils the criteria on the number of as requested by the legislation on strategic investments.

“During the development and operational parts of the investment, the of 1,000 people is foreseen.”

The government decision notes that the project will occupy around 562 hectares, of which some 45 hectares will be developed.

Jared Kushner has proposed to develop the Zvernec area of the island, which falls within the environmentally protected area of Sazan.

The island that's only five-square-kilometres was once used as a military base.

During World War I, the island was seized by – it established a military commander on the island, which is called Saseno in Italian.

The island was part of Italy from 1920 until after World War II, during which the Italian authorities built a lighthouse and naval buildings.

It was also populated by some families of fishermen who were relocated from .

The island was ceded to Albania on in 1947, under the postwar peace treaty with Italy.

The island was used as a naval base until December 2024 but has been open to the public since 2017.

In recent years, Sazan has become a popular tourist attraction, particularly during the .

What makes the island more appealing for holidaymakers is its .

Due to its location, average temperatures range from 16C in January to 29C in June, meaning it's warm most of the year, while not being too hot during the summer.

You can reach Sazan Island by boat or speedboat from Vlora from €25 per person with the journey taking 30-minutes.

On , one visitor wrote: “A beautiful place, untouched for years with historical military buildings and a beautiful beach. One of the best places in Albania.”

Another added: “This is a unique place, a former ‘military island', which was closed for decades for the public. This is an exciting mixture of the untouched nature and the rusty relics of the military past!”

Plus, locals share their .

And the .