is awash with stunning beach resorts that attract visitors in their millions. Some of the most popular destinations include Spain, Greece, Italy and Croatia.

Spain alone welcomed a whopping 94 million tourists in 2024, while numbers in almost hit the 40 million mark. The huge influx of visitors in recent years has created serious overcrowding problems at many of Europe's most popular seaside destinations.

The problems of so-called over-tourism are leading many to look high and low for less tourist-saturated destinations.

And one country stands out as a perfect escape from the tourist hordes, with its crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches.

Dubbed Europe's answer to the Maldives, is located on the Balkan Peninsula and has a 450-kilometre coastline.

Crisscrossed by mountains, its diverse landscape and low-budget prices are making it a highly attractive destination for travellers.

Roughly 12 million visitors - including around 170,000 Brits - visited the former in 2024.

However, the country is gaining a reputation for its mafia groups, who allegedly are pumping the money they earn from crime into the real estate and tourism sectors.

Reports claim that mafia groups even own luxury hotels through which they launder their ill-got gains.

is a key drug trafficking route - a transit country for heroin from , Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan to Europe, according to The Global Organised Crime Index's 2023 report.

The report also claims is a transit hub for cocaine smuggled from Latin America into Europe and the UK.

Criminology Professor Xavier Raufer of Paris-Sorbonne, told there are about 30 major mafia families in .

The author of "At the Heart of the Balkan Chaos: The Albanian Mafia" says each clan controls various regions, with key areas located in the north near Shkodra, the capital Tirana and the south near the Greek border.

He added that the most powerful ones are based "along the sea because it's better for trafficking."