British singer Dua Lipa has backed protests in Albania against a luxury hotel plan linked to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner. The project is proposed for a protected area on the country’s south-west coast, and protesters say it threatens one of Albania’s most sensitive coastal habitats.
Lipa said it was “concerning” when a government could “just change a law to bypass environmental regulations”, speaking on the Service95 Book Club podcast on Tuesday. She added that she found it “so inspiring to see how much people care about it”.
The singer said the economy needed to be built “in a way that benefits the people”. Her comments have added fresh international attention to a movement that has grown for weeks in Tirana and beyond.
The protests centre on plans for a luxury hotel complex in the Zvernec nature reserve, near the Vjosa-Narta lagoon. The area is an important stopover site for migratory birds and flamingos, and campaigners say development there would damage a fragile ecosystem.
The project was presented in 2024, according to the report, and opposition intensified when barbed wire and bulldozers appeared on beaches in Zvernec at the end of May. Demonstrators say that moment turned local concern into a wider environmental campaign.
The plan also includes turning the largely uninhabited island of Sazan into an upscale resort. Sazan was once a secret communist military base, and developers have promoted the island as part of a broader tourism push along the Adriatic coast.
Thousands of people have joined evening protests in the Albanian capital in recent weeks. Prime Minister Edi Rama has also come under pressure as anger grows over the government’s support for tourism-led growth.
Albania has long tried to expand its economy through tourism, but the dispute has exposed the tension between investment and conservation. Critics say the proposal reflects a wider pattern of Trump family business interests abroad, a charge often levelled at other luxury projects linked to the family.
Lipa’s intervention matters because she is one of Albania’s best-known international figures, with family roots in Kosovo and a large global following. Her comments are likely to strengthen the visibility of the campaign, even if they do not change the government’s position.
The issue now sits at the intersection of environment, politics and high-profile development. For protesters, the battle is no longer only about one hotel, but about how Albania chooses to balance economic growth with protection of its coast and wildlife.
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