Costa del Sol Still Among Cheapest European Holiday Destinations, Survey Shows

Costa del Sol Still Among Cheapest European Holiday Destinations, Survey Shows

Fantastic weather, food lifestyle and the welcoming Spanish people 

The annual Post Office Travel Money survey is a great way for holidaymakers and homebuyers alike looking to see where they can get the most for their money.

Over recent years, Bulgaria has emerged as a viable holiday destination for those in western Europe, propelling the country to the top of the charts. Bulgaria may not have the most charm, the best food, or the most family-friendly attractions; it does have great weather, better beaches, and incredible value for money.

Even though prices in Spain are up an average of 25% compared to 2012 when Bulgaria entered the Post Office survey, prices have dropped in the Costa del Sol.

The survey shows that the cost of holiday essentials has dropped by an average of 14% compared to 2012 in the Costa del Sol. It’s expected that prices have dropped by 3% in the past year alone.

This is coupled with the fact that property prices are an average of 40% below the peak values of 2008 to make the Costa del Sol an attractive when it comes to choosing a holiday or investing destination.

This reduced cost of daily essentials is connected to the improved economic performance of Spain. While the economy is strengthening and growing at one of the fastest rates in the Eurozone, there is a “lag” in the costs of good catching up, meaning that prices in coastal regions such as the Costa del Sol are expected to remain cheap for another two years at least.

Survey Finds Brits Looking for Property Abroad Still Prefer Spain

Survey Finds Brits Looking for Property Abroad Still Prefer Spain.

Costa del sol continues to be in such demand with its fantastic weather

and amazing Mediterranean lifestyle.

Ever Since the EU Referendum of last June, doomsayers have been predicting the fall of the British pound and that UK buyers would never consider investing in overseas property.

While it is true the sterling has fallen a little, there’s not been a shred of evidence to suggest that British interest in foreign property has abated. Sales continue to grow in fact, even if they are growing a little slower than before. A survey published recently by the Spanish Legal Reclaims legal firm shows that British desire for Spanish property remains high.

The survey showed that 55% of the people surveyed said that Brexit had not affected their decision to purchase property overseas. In fact, 10% said that their interest in European property had only increased following the vote.

45% of those surveyed said that they were most interested in Spanish property, with France coming in second at 37% and Italy coming third on 20%.

It’s hardly surprising that Spain remains the destination of choice for British people looking for European property. Spain has always delivered on a great lifestyle, great property prices and, of course, the stunning climate.

There’s more propping up the Spanish property market than just British buyers, however. Scandinavian, French, and German interest remains high, while interest from domestic buyers has been on the up for the past two years.

This has been shown by the sales data from April. Spanish notaries have shown that sales decreased in April 2017 by 2% compared to 2016 thanks to the Easter effect. The Semana Santa fell in April this year, meaning that banks, notaries, and mortgage lenders were closed for longer this year than last year, which means it was harder for Spaniards to make their deposits or take out their mortgages, which hobbled sales growth.

The excellent sales from March – an increase of 20-30% of last year – could also be a testament to the Easter effect. The trend going past these anomalies is one of positivity, showing the market is moving in the right direction.

Data Shows Spain Still World Leader in Top Quality Beaches

Data Shows Spain Still World Leader in Top Quality Beaches

Beaches is Spain and the Costa Del Sol continue to be

clean and will awards

Spain can keep its reputation as being the country with the best, cleanest, and safest beaches in the world thanks to its impressive 579 blue flag beaches.

The Association for Environmental Education and the Consumer (ADEAC), the body in charge of designating blue-flag beaches, has kept Spain as the top of the charts for another year in a row; a streak that has existed since way back in 1987.

Being designated a blue-flag beach means meeting some stringent criteria. The ADEAC assess the hygiene, safety, sanitary conditions of a beach, along with the accessibility and provisions of lifeguards. While the number of blue-flag beaches in Spain has dropped by 7 since 2016, it still proved itself to be the best in the world for safe bathing.

In terms of individual regions, Valencia is home to the most blue-flag beaches – with 129 – while Galicia to the northwest has 113, Catalonia has 95, and Andalucía – where the Costa del Sol can be found – has 90 blue-flag beaches.

The Murcia region, which sits not far from the Costa del Sol, lost 16 blue flag beaches compared to last year; the largest drop nationally.

Greece boasts the second-highest number of blue flag beaches after Spain, followed by France, Turkey, Italy, and Portugal.

Spain became the top of the charts thanks to its marinas, which boast an impressive 100 blue flags collectively. With another five blue flags for cruise ship ports, Spain is home to 684 blue flags in all – the largest number for a single country.

Spain Still Has One of the Best Life Expectancies in the World

Spain Still Has One of the Best Life Expectancies in the World

Spain and the Costa del Sol with its healthy

diet and warm feel good factor is  a fantastic

place to live.

Spaniards live a pretty long life thanks to their endless supply of sunshine, sea and fresh air. Many studies have been done that prove the benefits of living the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle, with practically every wealthy Western nation bordering the Med enjoying their own long life expectancy compared to Europe and even most of the world.

Data published from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has shown that Spain is starting to pull away from the rest of Europe in terms of life expectancy, along with France and Italy.

The Spanish average life expectancy has risen again and is now 82 years, which represents a five year increase over the past 20 years. It’s also one of the highest life expectancies in the western world. Back in 1990 the average Spanish life expectancy was 77 years, compared to the British 76 years. Britain has also seen an increase and now the average life expectancy for Brits is 81.5 years.

On a global level Spain ranks in 13^th when it comes to life expectancy. The top spot belongs to Andorra; the small country bordering Spain and France. People in Andorra can expect to live to an average age of 83.9 years.

While Japan did come in second place with their average lifespan of 83.3 years, they were followed by Iceland, Switzerland, Israel, Cyprus, Malta and Italy; showcasing that European countries, especially those around the Mediterranean, are where you need to live if you want to live as long as possible.

The Spanish also have some of the healthiest lifestyles in the world, according to more research that was conducted by Public Health England. The research showed that in England there are large discrepancies in health.

People living in the southeast and southwest of England have some of the best life expectancies in Europe but the more northern areas of the UK, in particular Scotland, performed badly in terms of health and longevity.

Another study; this one from the Global Burden of Disease, showed that living Spain reduces the chances of dying from many of the diseases and afflictions that plague the British including poor diets, diabetes, and high blood pressure; all of which play a big role in the health and death statistics of the country.

Spaniards are protected from many of the common diet-related health issues thanks to the Mediterranean Diet comprised of fruit, vegetables, fish and pulses. Spaniards are also guaranteed to get plenty of rest and their daily doses of vitamins C and D thanks to the generally slower paced lifestyle of Spain and the climate there.

The Pound May have Slumped A Bit But Spanish Visitor Numbers Still up 15% in July

The Pound May have Slumped a Bit, But Spanish Visitor Numbers Still up 15% in July

The British have always had a reputation of being hardy and not letting anything (or anyone) get between them and their summer holiday.

Spain is having an amazing year and beating previous

records month after month.

Even though the Brexit vote in June brought down the value of the pound for a short while and made it worth about the same as the Euro (some airports in Spain are even exchanging pounds for less than the cost of euros) Brits are still heading to Spain by the bucket load. The latest data from the Office of National Statistics (INE) shows that the number of British visitors to Spain soared by 15% in July.

The INE data shows that just over 27% of all the hotel rooms in Spain were occupied by Brits during July, even though the prices for those rooms have increased by an average of about 6% over last summer. The Spanish summer lure has been bigger than ever this year and the INE are also reporting that Spanish hotels across the country are reporting record occupancy numbers.

The Costal del Sol, which has always been a perennial favourite for the Brits, saw occupancy rates in July reach up to 79%. The Hotel Owner’s Association of the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS) say they believe this number will rise to a peak of 85% in August before falling down to the still-respectable 75% in September.

This summer spike prediction is pretty reasonable given the incredible start Spain got to the year. January and April saw an increase in visitor numbers of 13% compared to the same period of time in 2015 reaching a massive 18.1 million. Spain is definitely on track to break the records set last year and a large chunk of this is thanks to the loyalty of British holidaymakers.

More people from countries outside of the UK are also coming to Spain; there are 4.1% more German visitors, 8.8% more French visitors and 3.8% more Dutch visitors. The strange thing is that Spain has only become more expensive for British visitors but they continue to just keep coming.

After the pound dropped following the Brexit vote many felt that British tourism numbers would be down. Instead they rose at a much faster rate than any other nationality and still spend around the same amount on average while in the country.

British visitors usually have a positive effect on the economy in the area they stay. Brits also make up the largest portion of foreign property owners in Spain. A Market Report on the Costa del Sol from 2015 by real estate consultants Aguirre Newman showed that Brits made up a sizeable chunk of the 75% of foreign nationals purchasing property in and around Marbella.

This report also showed that villas for sale in the Costa del sol stay on the market for only half as long as they did a year ago, which is good news for the real estate industry.