Friday 2 December 2016

September Sees 12% More Brits Visit Spain

September Sees 12% More Brits Visit Spain

The Costa del Sol has broken all records yet again
Spain is still going through one of the best years fortourism ever and the latest data from the Tourism Ministry shows the good year continues on because September saw 12% more British people than September of last year.

According to the data some 2 million Brits came to Spain in September; making for a grand total of 14.4 million Brits out of 60.3 million tourists across the whole year.

Spain saw a total of 7.9 million tourists in September, which was an increase of just over 10% over 2015. During the three-month period of July to September there was a total of 27.6 million visitors to Spain, an increase of the 25 million from 2015.

The Tourism Ministry predicts that Spain will see 74 million tourists by the end of the year, which would be a new record. Almost everyone is welcoming this news from hoteliers and bar owners to anyone watching the economy.

There are plenty of resorts that have the ability to handle these visitor numbers, there are also places such as Barcelona and Majorca that are already stretched to their limits.

The good news is that there is still room in the Costa del Sol for more hotels, resorts, and anything else visitors could want without disrupting the balance that makes buying property in the Costa del Sol and the surrounding areas uch a favourite with tourists.

Tour operator Exceltur undertook their own research that suggests that the number of tourists who become “officially registered” by booking at a hotel has gone up by 2% over the past two years. During these two years there has been an increase of 75% in private rentals.

Thursday 1 December 2016

Almost 400,000 Homes Sold in Spain Across 12 Months to September


Almost 400,000 Homes Sold in Spain Across 12 Months to September


Spain is back with more and more homes being sold.
This number indicates a year-on-year increase of 13.2% and is the most homes sold across a 12 year period since the 12 months leading to July 2011.

This 400,000 figure might be less than the 775,000 homes that were sold during 2007, it is still a strong sign of the Spanish property market is becoming more active and healthy. It is also a continuation of the growth period that has seen price increases in 24 out of the past 25 months.

September 2016 saw 34,931 homes change hands, which is an increase of 13% over September 2015. When looked at as a whole the year of 2016 has seen some 311,000 properties sold so far; an indication that 2016 could see the most homes sold in a single year since 2008; which was the last year before the Spanish economy went into a recession following the global credit crunch.


Andalucía saw over 100 homes sold per 100,000 thousand residents, which would suggest that there is a split between the numbers of local, domestic, and international buyers.

This has always been the way things work in Andalucía. The Andalucían property market is supported by the sales across the Costa del Sol; particularly the sales of the luxury homes that are made available to wealthy buyers through and around Marbella.

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Is the Spanish Property Market Being Boosted by Climate Change?



Is the Spanish Property Market Being Boosted by Climate Change?

Spanish summers are getting longer which
is wonderful for the area
This idea sounds a little silly at first; how could climate change – a very real problem – be contributing to a market whose strength is determined by how many people buy and sell properties?

There is one voice in coming out of the Spanish property industry that is suggesting that the Spanish summers are getting a little longer and now high season has been extended so much that the property and tourism sectors of Spain are bound to see some benefit.

The voice belongs to Chris White; who has been working in the property industry of Spain for decades now. He believes that climate change has had an impact on the already excellent climate of Spain that has been good for both industries.

The warm summer sun in Spain can last into December, long into the darkest and most dismal part of the year for the UK when the weather gets colder, the days get darker, and it’s too early to get into the spirt of Christmas. The property market of Spain is really reaping the benefits.

White says that the weather is one of the primary reasons British buyers are so in love with Spain. Spain is such an ideal destination for Brits because the sun and the sea are just a short flight away.

He added that Spain has very appealing during this time; when the weather in Britain gets colder and the night comes a little sooner. White said that Spain is already seeing the benefits of longer summers thanks to the record tourism numbers and the fact that Spanish property transactions have gone up for 24 of the past 25 months.

It is a little difficult say for sure if climate change had anything to do with these record numbers however. The Spanish tourism numbers have been growing quite a bit across the past 18 months. Part of this is also the rise of terrorism in countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Tunisian and even France. These countries have all been gripped by the hands of terrorism and so tourists are choosing the safer shores of Spain.

The rise of the Spanish property market could also be down to the improved economy of Spain and Europe as a whole thanks to banks putting less stringent restrictions on lending and a more transparent market.

Even taking this into account there is a bit of truth to Mr White’s words. The latest data from Aena; who manage a selection of Spanish airports, suggest that there are more Brits than ever before booking Trips to Spain in November and December. The number of winter tourists is also rising at a faster rate than the number of summer tourists.

White says that there is definitely a correlation between the number of people visiting Spain and the number of foreigners buying Spanish property. The longer and warmer winters and autumns are leading to more visitors and even more foreign interest in Spanish property. These visitors are also able to enjoy the beaches and waters of Spain, which is a plus for them.

Tuesday 29 November 2016

40% of Spanish Homes Running Pay TV


40% of Spanish Homes Running Pay TV


Most house holds are now paying for TV services
Spain is definitely feeling the success of streaming platforms like Amazon Fire TV and Netflix. The latest research shows almost 40% of households in Spain have pay-to-view TV in some form or another.

This data does include the more traditional satellite and cable services including Sky and Canal+, but it does show how TV habits are changing in Spain, although going to the Cinema is still very popular.

People would never really suggest that terrestrial Spanish TV was any good, so it’s likely not going to become a surprise that the Spaniards, who were once considered to be the biggest illegal downloaders, have grabbed the opportunity to get their hands on something better than they would through regular Spanish TV.

People are also more willing to pay for it than ever. A survey conducted by Onsti, the Spanish Telecommunications Observatory, Spanish homes are spending an average of €22.30 on Pay TV. This suggests that people are paying for more than one streaming platform given that Netflix costs less than €10. They could also be purchasing the more expensive satellite and cable packages that offer more content.

The data from the survey shows that around a third of Spanish homes take advantage of a comprehensive package including broadband internet, TV, fixed landline and mobile phones. This also suggest that the Spanish are getting in line with their cousins in northern Europe when it comes to going digital.

The homes that are on these comprehensive packages spend an average of €68.20 for them, which is pretty good value for money considering what you get included in these packages.

Netflix opened their doors to Spain last year and they have become quite a success in the country, just as it did in all the other European markets it entered.

Monday 28 November 2016

Spain Ratifies Global Climate Change Agreement



Spain Ratifies Global Climate Change Agreement

Spain has joined the USA, China, India, Australia, and other large EU nations in ratifying the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The agreement was initially drawn up last December in the COP21 conference.
Climate change is needed everywhere for our planet to survive
Spain will look to follow the terms of the Paris Agreement and come up with ways to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius before the end of the century. Scientists have agreed that carbon emissions must be cut by up to 50% in most nations to prevent the global temperature from rising to above 2 degrees Celsius; which is considered to be the point of no return for global warming.

The Spanish Environment Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina last week revealed that they will ratify the details of the agreement as soon as possible. Many people welcomed the news as the future of the Paris Agreement was unknown following Donald Trump being elected as the next US president.

While Barack Obama pushed the American ratification of the Agreement through earlier in the year Donald Trump, who is against the idea of climate change, has threatened to rip it up.

The USA are in for now though, along with China, Germany, the UK and India; some of the biggest polluters in the world. Spain have also now joined in.

Tejerna spoke at the COP22 meeting in Morocco where she said that ratifying the agreement means that Spain will be able to take part in deciding the measures of the agreement. She said that the change had reached the point where no corporation or government could stop it, and that we would have to see how the new American administration will react.

There was one time when Spain was the global leader in renewable energy. There was a time when power from wind and solar energy accounted for 15% of the power in the nation. Since 2011 things have gone a little backwards however. Spain has since scrapped the generous subsidies that made it easy and profitable for people to install solar panels, and now there is even a controversial “sun tax”; which is when people are charged to return their solar power to the national grid.

It’s expected that this ruling could be rescinded in the new government though. Solar power is becoming cheaper to install and will only continue to get cheaper, so there is little to no need for government support.