Campaigners Seek to Have Mountains of Costa del Sol Recognised as a National Park

Campaigners Seek to Have Mountains of Costa del Sol Recognised as a National Park

being recognised is such an import and

thing to the Costa Del Sol

Campaigners hope to have the mountain range of Costa del Sol – the iconic mountains that have served as the backdrop to many postcards, selfies, and evening meals for decades.

The unique peak of La Concha to the flatter range reaching inland through to Ronda, the Costa del Sol mountains hide beautiful terrain, rural pueblos, winding roads, and the most beautiful views of Spain.

The mountain range plays host to expats and locals alike during the summer months, and it’s also home to some of the most exclusive property to be found in the world. You’ll have to look hard, but you can find it nestled in the valleys.

The local government already has plans to recognise the Sierra de las Nieves behind Marbella as a national park, causing over 13,500 people to sign a Change.org petition to have the Sierra Bermeja – which constitutes the backdrop of Estepona awarded national park status.

The petition argues that the Sierra Bermeja has a more delicate, broader biodiversity than Sierra de las Nieves, and that both ranges deserve to be granted national park status.

Pinsapo fir trees can only be found on red peridotite rocks in the Sierra Bremeja according to the group. This is why they campaigned alongside the Sierra de las Nieves to have the whole area recognised.

Sierra Bermeja Parque Nacional campaigner Maribel Marin was encouraged by how many signed the signature so far, saying that it highlighted how important the mountain range is to the people. Marin encourages other people to sign the petition and show officials the support the campaign has received.

The current status of Sierra Bermeja is that of a parque natural, which Marin believes doesn’t give it the protection it needs from fires and other risks. Marin concluded that it would be a tragedy if a lack of protection caused us to lose a unique habitat forever.

See How The Spanish Economy Boosted By Tourism and Exports in the First Quarter

See How Spanish Economy Boosted By Tourism and Exports in the First Quarter

2016 broke all record for tourism and 2017 is looking great too

Following a strong first quarter of Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy increased the economic outlook for the country. The economy was boosted by strong performances in the tourism and export industries.

The government now believes that national GDP will increase by 2.7% in 2017, up from the 2.5% expected at the start of the year. The stronger start to 2017 has been seen primarily in data about flights, hotels, and resorts showing record-breaking levels of tourism.

The Spanish real estate market is also offering encouraging interest and activity.

Rajoy said that the recent data for the first quarter of 2017, as well as forecasts both national and international, were behind the decision to revise the growth forecast.

The optimism matches the optimism shown by the Bank of Spain, which increased its own growth forecast to 2.8% GDP, putting Spain on the course to be one of the major economic performers of Europe in 2017.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published their own sober – if still encouraging – GDP increase. The IMF expects that Spanish GDP will increase by 2.6% this year, which would still leave the country ahead of the UK and USA for the second year in a row.

The Prime Minister expects GDP growth to continue across 2018 and 2019, leading to around half a million new jobs added each year. The result is that another million Spaniards will be in employment by 2020.

There is still some concern over the jobless rate, with Spanish unemployment sitting at 18.6%; one of the highest in Europe. Rajoy told reporters his government is planning a budget that prioritises this figure with plans to reduce unemployment below 16% by 2018.

Malaga the Second-Most Popular Cruise Ship Destination in Spain

Malaga continues to be a great stop of for Cruise Ships

Malaga the Second-Most Popular Cruise Ship Destination in Spain

Have you ever gone on a cruise? Despite the stereotype that old people are the ones taking cruises are over 50 years old, cruises are becoming more popular with the younger generations of Europe. There are so many young people taking cruises, in fact, that cruise companies are changing the way that they market holiday packages.

What’s likely not about to change any time soon is where these cruise ship passengers choose as their destination. A cruise ship needs to offer something special to be worthwhile, from the beautiful Caribbean to the sunny Aegean and frozen fjords of Norway.

The main highlight of cruises has always been docking at an incredible port city. It seems that this includes plenty of places in Spain this March. Data from Cruise Trade News has shown that the port of Malaga was the second-busiest port in Spain across March in terms of cruise ship traffics. The top spent went to bountiful Barcelona.

This is hardly going to be a surprise for regulars to the Costa del Sol who understand the beauty held by the city of Malaga. The city has medieval architecture, breathtaking vistas offered by the incredible vantage points, and tightly winding streets that all contribute to the plentiful number of reasons to visit.

Even though cruise ship passengers might only get to stay in the city for a few hours or days, the city is sure to delight even in such a small amount of time. The reputation Malaga has for being one of the most alluring sights of Spain is only growing; especially in the cruise world.

Travel company TUI are set to send their TUI Discovery 2 cruise ship to the city of Malaga for the first time next month. The ship will be packed with thousands of passengers – and their sizeable wallets – all eager to hit the shops and see the sights.

Managing director of Thomson Cruises Helen Caron said that the company was delighted to name Malaga as the homeport of the TUI Discovery 2. She said that Malaga is the ideal base for families, friends, and couples looking to see a stunning destination.

The TUI Discovery 2 has 915 cabins and is capable of housing 1,832 people. The largest cruise ship in the world – the Harmony of the Seas – impressed onlookers last summer as it pulled into the port of Malaga or a day, heading from Vigo in the northwest of Spain.

Leading Experts Confident in Health of Spanish Property Market

Leading Experts Confident in Health of Spanish Property Market

The next few years look very promising as the Spanish property

market continues to grow from strength to strength.

With more new homes being built, more homes being sold, and all the growth, some people were sceptical that the property market could continue into the long term, even though the early signs suggested the recovery was as sustainable as it was steady.

Now some leading analysts of the Spanish property industry are now speaking of their confidence in the health of the property market, and that it wasn’t another bubble about to burst. The latest data on house prices for March shows property prices across the country have risen between 1.8% and 4.5%. This regional variation is the driving force behind the confidence in the long-term health of Spain.

Real estate expert Mark Stücklin analysed the data from the Tinsa index. His analysis led him to the conclusion that average asking prices are very healthy right now, and are showing no signs of overheating.

He added that the Balearics is the only place where the higher price increases – as much as over 4% - are an outlier. The reason for this is that there is less landmass there, meaning there is less property and higher premiums.

The mainland of Spain is much more sober market – a fact agreed on by the Bank of Spain. Juan Antonio Gómez-Pintado – the head of the Spanish Developers’ Association – said the recovery is “normal” thanks to the average price increase of 3% in February over last year. To contrast this, a 3% gain would have been considered a small growth for a month back in the peak of the property boom in 2006.

The market this time is much more stable, secure, and attractive.

Warm Weather Training in Marbella a Hit for Heavyweight Boxer Tyson Fury

Warm Weather Training in Marbella a Hit for Heavyweight Boxer Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury hits Marbs again as do so many stars

Tyson Fury stands at six-foot-six and goes by many names; he’s the Gypsy King and the bad boy of heavyweight boxing. One of his favourite things to do is make critics eat their words by being impressive in the ring and hits the Costa del Sol. 

For some time now though, the 28 year-old Manchester giant has been a bit out of shape, a bit out of focus, and even a bit out of the limelight. The star is keeping to himself and training for his return to the ring while banned from boxing due to substance abuse.

However, while fellow British boxer Anthony Joshua was busy impressing the world with his incredible 11-set knockout against Wladmir Klitschko of the Ukraine – the man Tyson shocked the world by defeating in 2015 – Fury was busy training in Marbella under the guidance of WBO World Middleweight Champion Billy Joe Saunders. Tyson declared that he had lost over a stone since starting training the Spanish sun. Fury hopes he can continue training and be in peak condition to take on Anthony Joshua. Fury didn’t want long to challenge his fellow Brit to a fight down the line.

Fury spoke after watching the fight from Saturday in the glitz and glamour of Puerto Banus, saying that he accepted Anthony Joshua’s challenge; saying their fight would be the biggest in 500 years and that Joshua was “a boxer’s dream”.

Fury has always considered to be a little unorthodox in the heavyweight world. At worst he’s seen as an overweight brawler who has been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. It’s impossible to deny that an in-shape Tyson Fury is a daunting prospect however.

Fury himself was the first to admit that he’d packed a little weight during recent months, but spoke highly of his sun-soaked training system; saying it helped him get back into fighting shape.

He said that the warm and bright weather is practically melting the pounds off, confirming he has lost 18 pounds so far and continues to lose weight.

Many professional sportspeople and teams have chosen to do their warm-weather training in Marbella. Many major clubs in the English Premier League head to the city during the summer before the start o the season to make the most out of the great climate and better facilities. The climate of the region allows it to be a warm-weather training destination during the winter months as well.