The pretty country dubbed the ‘Maldives of Europe’ where British tourists are flocking

Sunny mountains blue seaside landscape. Himare. Albania.

Sunny coastal scenes in Himare, Albania. (Image: Getty)

A country in southeastern Europe is gaining popularity amongst Brits planning their summer holidays as search data shows a huge surge in interest. For generations, huge numbers of people from the UK have been visiting the likes of Spain and for a week or two at a time, but many are now looking elsewhere as traditional options . A new report has found one of those countries, Albania.

Albania is located in the southwest of Europe, bordering Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro. The country boasts gorgeous coastal scenes in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea. Having been dubbed the ‘Maldives of Europe’ in recent years, it is no surprise that Brits are now looking at the sunny country of Albania for . The was published by Sail Croatia and highlights the places Brits are considering, based on online searches. 

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Albania, Sail Croatia says, is the fourth most in-demand destination for Brits considering their travel options. Online searches for holidays in Albania “skyrocketed” in 2024 compared to 2023, receiving 182K more searches. In total, there were 504K searches for the term ‘Albania holidays’ in 2024.

Albania is quickly becoming a go-to spot for many Europeans for its beachside resorts, found in hotspots such as the Albanian Riviera, which attracts people for its nighlife, scenic landscape, and hot, sunny weather. 

Ionian Sea at the Coast of Himare, South Albania

The Albania coast proves popular with tourists (Image: Getty)

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Other popular spots in the country include such as Berat, Saranda, and the Ksamil Islands. There is also the exciting Albanian capital, Tirana, which is known for its cultural attractions such as the 18th-century Et’hem Bey mosque, National Historical Museum, and Skanderbeg Square.

While Albania came out on top as the most popular up and coming holiday destination for Brits, it was followed by Malta in second place and Montenegro in third place. 

Meanwhile, Santorini in Greece was the overall most popular holiday search for Brits, followed by Corfu (Greece), Antalya (Turkey), Istanbull (Turkey), Dubrovnick (Croatia), Split (Croatia) and Crete (Greece).  

Both British Airways and Wizz Air operate flights between the UK and Albania from London Gatwick, London Luton, and London Stanstead airports. 

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