Mohamed Alabbar, the Emirati billionaire behind the development group Eagle Hills, has reignited discussions around a large-scale tourism development at Velika Plaža near Ulcinj, Montenegro, following earlier public controversy and regulatory hurdles. After public pressure prompted Alabbar to halt plans for a long-term lease of the iconic beach earlier in 2025, he has resumed engagement with local landowners and stakeholders to explore potential pathways for future investment and partnership.
During a recent meeting with property owners and residents from the hinterland of Velika Plaža, Alabbar reiterated that his company is interested in progressing a project concept — described in internal correspondence as the “Long Beach Project” — but clarified that no binding transaction or land purchase has been agreed. Instead, Alabar’s team has proposed non-binding letters of intent to gauge interest in various partnership styles being considered, emphasising that Eagle Hills is not obliged to proceed to a formal agreement by signing such documents.
The discussions focus on a substantial area of nearly six million square metres, comprising approximately four million square metres of state-owned territory and two million square metres of privately owned land. Alabbar has told participants that if land is made available for the contemplated project, contributors would receive bank guarantees, with an aspirational timeline of around nine years for implementation should a formal plan be agreed.
Alabbar first surfaced in Montenegro’s public debate in March 2025 when plans were unveiled for a comprehensive development at Velika Plaža — including a proposed 99-year lease of the beach from Port Milena to the Bojana River mouth — leading to large public protests and political pushback. The municipality of Ulcinj’s legislative body ultimately refused to endorse the initiative, prompting Eagle Hills to pause those original plans and explore alternatives drawing on existing spatial planning documents.
In the interim, Eagle Hills Montenegro participated in the national tender for beach leases in March 2025, submitting offers for 19 beach locations and emerging top-ranked on nine, before retracting from several under pressure from prior tenants. The company subsequently secured lease rights for two popular Ulcinj beaches — Tropikana and Imperijal — which it is now managing.
More recently, in early October 2025, Eagle Hills signed a joint venture agreement with local developer “Cungu & Co” to create a separate entity, Eagle Hills Ecovillage Shas Podgorica, tasked with developing an eco-tourism destination near Šas. That project centres on environmentally sensitive accommodation, wellness services, and recreational facilities designed to offer an authentic Montenegrin tourism experience while preserving the area’s natural assets.
Alabbar’s renewed outreach at Velika Plaža underscores both the continued commercial interest from large international developers in Montenegro’s coastal tourism potential and the sensitivity of community and political factors that shape such projects. While the nature and scale of future development remain under evaluation, the latest interactions signal a willingness by both sides to pursue common ground that could ultimately bring high-profile investment to one of Montenegro’s most iconic landscapes.
