Data Shows Spanish Building Industry to Grow 4% Annually

Data Shows Spanish Building Industry to Grow 4% Annually

Crain's have returned to the Costa de Sol which is all positive 

Bloomberg describes the Madrid skyline as being a forest of cranes. While the capital of Spain is still nothing compared to the forest of cranes Dubai once was, there is definitely a noteworthy amount of building work happening around the city.

The Spanish construction industry is back and better than ever. The number of new builds in 2013 fell off a cliff, dropping 96% compared to the peak of 2006. Not many would have predicted that it would take just four years for the industry to be full of cash and confidence once more.

Data from the Ministry of Public Works shows that the building industry – which includes constructing new homes and offices – is set to grow 4% annually through 2020, with a 5% increase expected in just Madrid.

The benefits of the stable real estate industry are being felt outside of Madrid as well. Building sites are propping up all over Spain, with data from Bloomberg showing a small but steady increase in construction.

Building activity is beginning to reflect the Spanish economy, which itself is expected to rise by over 3% for the third year running. The data shows a positive trend where projects are quickly replacing one another and leading to constant activity. The building industry appears to be making up for lost time.

Additional data from the College of Property Registrars in Spain shows that property sales for new homes in Madrid and Catalonia has increased 10% for the first quarter of 2017, almost identical to the growth in resale properties. The fortunes of the two sectors are connected, even though new build activity typically follows the trends in resales – a trend that is particularly true for the Costa del Sol, where new build activity has picked up significantly in the past 18 months.

Felix Lores, an economist with BBVA Research, believes Spain has learned their lesson from the last property boom. This time the recovery is being anchored on sustainable models of consumption and exports rather than on the bubble of short-term credit.

This represents a significant difference from what happened in the past. It’s expected that the annual increase for new home constructions in 2017 and 2017 will be over 6%. Typically a surge in construction activity would lead to an increase in GDP, which relied on the property sector. This time things are the other way around.

Andalucía Tourism Figures Grow 15% in January

Andalucía Tourism Figures Grow 15% in January

According to the latest data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), the number of overseas visitors heading to Andalucía – which, along with Malaga, comprises the provinces of Huelva, Cádiz, Sevilla, Jaén, Granada, Córoba, and Almeria – was up by a massive 15% in January of this year compared to the same period in 2016, while there was also an 11% increase in visits from Spanish nationals.

More records are broken again in Spain

Of all the 17 autonomous communities of Spain, Andalucía saw the largest increase by far, with a 7.7% increase in the Canary Islands, and a slight decrease of 1.8% for Catalonia. Andalucía welcomed over 13% of the 3.9million holidaymakers entering Spain from overseas in January. The Brits were the bulk of these tourists, with 25.2% of all tourists (521,116 visitors) coming from Britain, while 9.7% of the tourists were from Scandinavia.

As record-breaking as 2016 was, tourism professionals are confident that these numbers prove 2017 will be another landmark year for the country.

Spanish Tourism Set to Grow 3.2% in 2017

Spanish Tourism Set to Grow 3.2% in 2017

Tourist smash all records and looks to continue the trend

Spanish tourism grew by 4.9% in 2016, and it’s expected to grow another 3.2% in 2017 according to the latest data from Exceltur; a tourism promotion group.

Exceltur is estimating that over 75.4 million tourists headed to Spain last year thanks to a combination of factors, including the appeal of Spain and the professional tourism industry of the culture, created the perfect storm.

It’s expected that things won’t change much this year either, except that the growth won’t be as rapid as it was last year. Exceltur suggests there are a few reasons this is the case, including the potential slide of the pound against the euro, which will deter British travellers from leaving the country.

Even so, the country is still yet to see the impact of Brexit. It’s now unlikely to really change tourism numbers in Spain much. Other factors worked well for Spain last year; the main factor was the rise of terrorism in other Mediterranean countries. With luck this won’t be such a big factor this year, but no one can really predict this.

Extra stability will be provided by the settled Spanish government, which will contribute to the idea that a stable country is one worth visiting.

Tourism was responsible for 11% of Spanish GDP last year, as over 80,000 jobs were created in the tourism sector during 2016. The experts add that this year in Spain could see similar numbers.

Why Spain is a Great Place for Your Kids to Grow Up

Why Spain is a Great Place for Your Kids to Grow Up

Spain and the Costa de Sol will always be a

wonderful place to bring up children due

to the Mediterranean lifestyle and great weather.

If you’ve ever taken a look around the blog then you know that we think Spain is a great place for kids to grow up and we’ve told you plenty of reasons why. In case you missed it here are the main reasons that Spain is the best place for kids to live and grow up.

·        Longer Childhood

No one is quite sure why but that doesn’t change the fact that kids are just kids for longer when they live in Spain. One of the reasons is that peer pressure and social pressure isn’t as big in Spain. Teenagers are allowed to go gaga over babies and toddlers without anyone thinking anything of it. If anything British kids should be allowed to have their childhoods back.

·        Safety

Spain is a country with a relatively low crime rate. There’s no need for parents to be constantly worried about their kids. In Spain you wouldn’t need to think twice if a stranger were to approach your child, talk to them, or even hold your baby. Something that would just never happen in Britain.

·        Healthcare

Spain has a fantastic healthcare system, especially when it comes to kids. Their state hospitals are a great place to give birth. It’s not like in Britain where you could be waiting a long time. They take healthcare seriously and there are practically no waiting times.

·        Language

When an expat child grows up in Spain they will learn at least two languages. They will know their mother tongue and Spanish. They might even learn a third or fourth language depending on where in Spain you are. Learning a new language can only ever be a good thing, especially for a child.

·        The Great Outdoors

Because of the warm weather many people spend more time outdoors than indoors, particularly in the south. There are also plenty of sports facilities everywhere. Playing on the beach and enjoying the countryside is something a child can do every day rather than when they’re on holiday.

·        Family First

Spain has very tight family units. Children in Spain grow up respecting their family members and appreciating what it’s like to be part of a family. They will grow up proud of their family and with respect for their elders. While they might not meet some members of their family as they are in different countries they will enjoy the time they spend together with those relatives more.

·        Food

Staying in a new place means encouraging your children to eat new foods. There are many great dishes kids love in Spain and there isn’t really a “kids menu” in the restaurants. Instead it’s customary for families to just share their plates of food. At home meal time becomes family time. There isn’t even a lot of fast food in Spain. Have you ever seen someone walking eat and eating in Spain?

Spain’s Booming Tourism Sector Could Grow 3.8% This Year

Spain’s Booming Tourism Sector Could Grow 3.8% This Year

Spanish resorts like Puerto Banus has always had success when it comes to attracting tourists even in winter.

The Spanish tourism industry has caused the Spanish economy to recover as well as brought smiles to the millions of Brits every year. It’s also behind at least one in five jobs that have been created in Spain this year. The Spanish tourism industry is set to continue to grow in 2016.

2016 all set to break records

Exceltur, the driving force behind the Spanish tourism sector, has altered their growth forecast for 2016. They originally estimated a growth of 3.4% and have since revised it to 3.8%. So the already strong start to the tourism industry seen in 2016 is going to be strengthened even further once the holiday season officially begins.

The Spanish tourism sector has grown for the past ten quarters, or two and a half years. This means that each quarter has seen more money come in the last and the growth has been at least 3%. This means that the tourism sector is the best-performing sector of the Spanish economy.

In the first quarter of 2016 the tourism sector brought in a GDP of 4.3% in the first quarter of 2015. It also created 89,000 new jobs along the way. All of this happened during a time where things are typically quiet for the tourism industry in Spain.

Tourism has always been something Spain is good at, along with the real estate market which is itself seeing a recovery.

Spain is expecting record numbers of visitors this summer thanks to the recent safety concerns arising in other popular tourist destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. It’s expected that holidaymakers will find their way to the more popular destinations in Spain, most of which can be found on the Costa del Sol.

It’s been calculated by Exceltur that Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia have seen 870,000 less tourists than usual so far this year, with Spain seeing an extra 799,000, so it’s not hard to guess where they’re going instead.

The data also shows that Spain has seen 12.5% more visitors so far this year, while Egypt has seen 46% less foreign tourists in 2016.

Exceltur did have some words of warning among all the good news though. Even though Spain is seeing a lot more tourists each tourist is spending an average of 7.8% less than they usually do. Exceltur are recommending that Spain try and bring in some more big spenders rather than relying on this low-cost tourism.

It’s expected that the big spending crowds will flock to the country during the summer months, as they always do to enjoy the beaches, food and Spanish lifestyle.