Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts

Thursday, 7 December 2017

Beyoncé’s Spanish Single Set to Dominate the World



Beyoncé’s Spanish Single Set to Dominate the World
Beyoncé dominates the world stage with her singles
It feels like global superstar Beyoncé certainly has the Midas touch. The American singing sensation has spent the better part of a decade releasing smash hits, but one market in particular proved to be resistant to her musical charm; the Spanish language market.

It looks like this could all change soon though as Beyoncé recently released her new single Mi Gente (My People); a remix to raise funds for the victims of the recent hurricane in Puerto Rico and people from the other affected areas in the Caribbean. The single will also support the victims of the Mexican earthquake.

This fact alone would be enough to send Beyoncé into the Spanish mainstream – not that she was ever considered an unknown – and it comes on the heels of the Spanish song Despacito becoming the most streamed song in history.

Music experts believe that Beyoncé singing in Spanish will inspire more Latino singers to go back to their native language rather than writing and releasing songs in English.

Forbes predicts that Mi Gente is set to become a smash hit around the world, helping to spread the vibrant Spanish language to a wide global audience.

Beyoncé is set to add a touch of her own magic to the party – ensuring that the Spanish language will cement itself squarely into the minds of many musical fans across the world and boosting the popularity of learning Spanish as a second language in the process.

Friday, 7 July 2017

Spain Once Again Top Spot for Property in the World


Spain Once Again Top Spot for Property in the World


Property in the costa del sol continues t be a great buy
There are a range of surveys and polls out there claiming they accurate rank the most potent global property market. Even so, ranking foreign demand for the property of a certain country is little more than playing a guessing game.

An example of this is that Brits choose Spain ahead of other countries when they buy property abroad, but American buyers will choose to buy a summer getaway in Mexico. This represents just two groups of buyers and doesn’t even take into account the share size of the world.

Even so, recent rankings from TheMoveChannel.com aim to give some form of structure and accuracy to these rankings. The portal has become to the largest site in the world for viewing property, and the Top of the Props index released by the website has become a trusted source among economists and analysts alike.

This is why headlines were made back in February when it was revealed Spain had lost its top spot to the USA. USA property became the hot trend at earlier in the year, accounting for 14.02% of global enquiries.

The April index shows that Spain has reclaimed the top spot once again, as Spanish property now accounts for one in ten search enquiries across the months of March and April. Also impressive is that locations in Spain accounted for 30 of the top 50 searched locations on the site.

This is hardly surprising, given that the Spanish property market picks up steam during the Spring. Foreign buyers have also had a long love affair with Spanish property; a love affair that the data from the Spanish Registrars latest annual report would suggest is continuing.

The report, which was also published just last week, shows 13.25% of the Spanish properties sold during the first quarter of 2017 went to foreign buyers.

There are very few people in the market that are surprised by the news that Spain remains an attraction to overseas buyers looking for property. Those who have always been confident in the appeal Spanish property has to British buyers are taking the fact that Brexit has done little to damage British demand as a chance to rub it in people’s faces and say they told us so.

Tuesday, 13 June 2017

How Does The World See Spain? As Great Food, Great Tourism, and Great Athletes

Spain is considered to be one of the best countries in the world
How Does The World See Spain? As Great Food, Great Tourism, and Great Athletes

If the stereotypical view of Spain is one of flamenco dancing, bullfighting, and seaside siestas, then the 2017 version will provide an accurate update.

According to the country image barometer of the Elcano Royal Institute; the thing that comes to mind for most people when they think about Spain are the bountiful beaches, the fabulous foods, and the amazing athletes.

The barometer looked at the brand strength of Spain, as viewed from the eyes of over 4,00 people across 11 countries in Europe, Asia, and America.

The latest responses show the image of Spain has improved to a score of 7.1. The country has been able to shake off the negativity of the economic crisis and shed the image of having no opportunities for employment.

Spain is now considered to be a place filled with sunshine, sports, and fine food. This is sure to leave the tourism industry feeling pretty pleased. However, one image Spain has not managed to shed just yet is the image of being a poor place to do business.

The most valued commodity in Spain remains holidaymaking facilities and attractions. German, French, and British respondents in particular valued these traits highly. The barometer showed people in China, Japan, Italy and Turkey still hold true to the traditional images of Spain; flamenco, football, and bullfighting.

63% of people from France and Germany said they consider Spain to be a “poor” country, with half of Brits agreeing with them. The good news is that the perception that Spain is lazy has fallen down to 26% from the 40% of 2014.

When it comes to goods produced, Zara remains the most well-known brand in Spain, receiving the highest grade on the barometer for best-known companies and brands (7.5). Next came Iberia Airlines with 7.2, BBVA with 7, and the car company Seat, which also scored 7.

The French, Italians, and the Brits place a high value on the olive oil, textiles, and wines of Spain; putting a premium on these Spanish products.

The country with the highest score on the image barometer was Japan, with a score of 7.6. Next came Germany and the UK with 7.5. The barometer said that these three country has their own strong national images, with easily identifiable products and traits.

Friday, 2 June 2017

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.

Friday, 26 May 2017

Spain Ranked Third-Most Popular Destination by World Tourism Organisation

Spain Ranked Third-Most Popular Destination by World Tourism Organisation


Southern Spain continues to be very attractive to all visitors
coming to Spain
The latest data from the UNWTO – Word Tourism Organisation – ranks Spain as the third in global tourism rankings for 2016.
The data showed that 68.2 million visitors flocked to Spain last year, putting it behind the USA (with 77.5 million visitors), and the first-place France, which saw a total of 84.5 million visitors from overseas.
The statistics from the UNWTO are a little different from other metrics as they record every visitor from a foreign country, rather than just legitimate tourists booking an overnight stay at the very least. This is the likely reason that France came in first, as many people pass through the country on their journeys to surrounding countries.
This doesn’t mean that France doesn’t have a strong tourism market though, it just means that France – which finds itself in the middle of the UK, Italy, Belgium, and Germany – is always going to deal with a lot of ‘visitors’.
Spain – on the other hand – has land borders with just Portugal, France, and Andorra – and it isn’t as large or as populated as France is. The UNWTO also published a separate set of data about the number of tourists per resident. This metric saw Spain beat France; drawing 1.4 tourists for every resident, beating the 1.25 France scored.
An interesting note is that Andorra – that small principality between Spain and France – that topped the charts for tourists-per-resident; drawing in a massive 33.5 tourists per resident.
As far as overall numbers go, Spain is just in front of China (56.9 million overseas visitors during 2016), Italy (50.7 million) and Turkey (39.4 million). The UK came in eighth for the total number of visitors, pulling in 33.4 million tourists during the year; just behind the 35 million of seventh-place Germany.
The top ten was completed with Mexico in ninth with 32.1 million tourists and Russia in tenth with 31.3 million.
The Spanish tourism sector is expected to continue to grow this year; growing 3.2% over 2016 figures.  Southern Spain and the costa del sol breaking all records.



Thursday, 27 April 2017

Spain Named the Safest, Cleanest, and Cheapest Holiday Destination in the World

Spain Named the Safest, Cleanest, and Cheapest Holiday Destination in the World

With the wonderful climate and outstanding food
no wonder Spain is considered the best
country in the world.

The World Economic Forum released their biannual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report last week, naming Spain as the best country in the world for tourism.

The comprehensive study ranks 138 countries around the world on a range of factors. The main aim of the report is to rank the safety, cleanliness, affordability, leisure options, and accessibility of each nation.

Spain edged ahead of Germany and France this time when it came to destinations for global travellers thanks to several factors.

The World Economic Forum said that one of the reasons Spain came in first was because the country places such a heavy emphasis on tourism. The report praised Spain for how hard the country works to provide high quality airports and air travel, incredible cultural resources, comprehensive tourist-based infrastructure. The country has also become a popular hub for business travel.

Coupled with the natural attractions of the country – the beaches, weather, landscape, and location of the country – it all goes together to make Spain unbeatable.

The World Economic Forum measures all of the factors and policies that allow for the continued development of travel and tourism, which contributes to how well a country develops and competes.


It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Spain has officially been recognised as having the best tourism reputation in the world. Spain has been the most visited country in the world for the past few years. Success begets success, as more and more holidaymakers head to the country there’s more word-of-mouth recommendations than ever before. The authorities of Spain have also taken all the steps needed to ensure the country stays special.

Second place went to France, with Germany coming third, Japan coming fourth, and the UK coming in at fifth. Despite the drab weather of the UK, the country performed well on cultural and historical attractions, as well as tourism services.

The top ten was rounded out by the USA, Australia, Italy, Canada, and Switzerland.

Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Costa del Sol Golf Course Ranked Best in World


Costa del Sol Golf Course Ranked Best in World


The prestigious Finca Cortesín – the home of the Volvo World Match Play Championships of 2009, ’11, and ’12 – has been given the honour of being declared the best golf resort in all of Europe.

Given that Malaga has over 70 golf courses it’s really not much of a surprise that the Costa del Sol – or Costa del Golf if you will – has become the European destination of choice for golfers. The area has seen a wide range of accolades over the years.

Considered as one of the best courses in the World
This time the accolades came in the form of golfing website Leading Courses. The website conducted a poll and the results showed that the Finca Cortesín golf course in Cesares – home of the 2009, 2011, and 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championships – was the best golf course in Europe. The runner up was the Mote Rei Golf and Country Club in Portugal, while the Rockliffe Hall Hotel Golf and Spa resort in County Durham snagged third place for the UK.

There were plenty of other Costa del Sol golf resorts to be found in the Leading Courses Top 100 for 2017, including Villa Padierna (found in the triangle of Estepona, Marbella, and Benahavis) which came in 24th, and the La Cala Resort, which came in 58th.

Spain had the highest number of golf resorts in the top 100 with 17. England came in second with 15 resorts, and Portugal came in third with 13.

Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Spain Maintains Second Highest Life Expectancy in the World


Spain Maintains Second Highest Life Expectancy in the World
With the sun 320 days a year and the healthy life style its
no wonder the Spanish and its aging residents
live longer than Northern Europe 
The latest statistics from OECD suggest that the average life expectancy reached 83.2 years in Spain for 2016, meaning that Spain has the second highest life expectancy in the world after Japan.

In Japan the life expectancy is a slightly longer 83.4 years, but Spain is one of the healthiest nations in the world and offers the best chance of living a long and healthy life.

The data from the OECD census says that Spain has over 100,000 people who are older than 100. News outlet Reuters sent out their reporters to interview some of these people and find out how they live such long and healthy lives.

Some of the answers were the usual ones of “laugh, love, andeat well in Spain”, and then there were more intriguing answers. 106-year old Pedro Rodríguez swears that the secret to his longevity has been music as he has been playing the piano every day since he first learned how when he was young.

112-year old Francisco Núñez lives with his 81-year-old daughter at her home after shrugging off the local pensioners’ daycare; complaining that it had too many old people. 101-year-old Gumersindo Cubo suggests exploring his local woods as a child gave him the fortitude needed to live past 100. He attributes his long life to the pine resin he would inhale in the woods as a child, saying his mother would put a jar of it under his bed when he was sick.

Comas points out that all the people he talked to had their own strong support network of family and friends living by them, which is likely another reason they were able to reach such an old age. The Spanish approach of “family first”, which is also seen in Japan, is one of the main reasons Spanish people lead such long lives. Loneliness can be a real killer in the west but, as people grow older in Spain, their bonds only strengthen.

This, alongside the varied and healthy Mediterranean diet of Spain are what keeps the people there in fighting fit shape. Of course the welcoming climate and leisurely pace of life in the country also helps in creating a society that enjoys rich, long lives.

Wednesday, 23 November 2016

OECD Better Life Index Ranks Spain Among Best In The World for Work-Life Balance

OECD Better Life Index Ranks Spain Among Best In The World for Work-Life Balance


Its no surprise that Spain is one of the best
places in the world to live.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently published the results from their latest Better Life Index. The results show that Spain performed quite well on several indices. So moving to Spain could greatly improve your life.

Even though overall life satisfaction was down globally – a mood swing likely caused by the never-ending economic problems of the world – Spain performed quite well in several areas. These great results included topping the table on work-life balance, the sense of community, and health and safety. 

The Better Life Index ranks the 34 most stable and rich nations the world over and ranks them based a number of topics including: Income, Housing, Community, Jobs, Environment, Education, Civic Engagement, Life Satisfaction, Health, Safety, and Work-Life Balance.

While Spain didn’t perform too well on some indices, such as jobs and income, in general life Spain is better than the OECD average.

The index results make for an interesting read. In terms of income the average disposable income of a Spanish household was €16,962, which was just below the €17,111 OECD average. There is also quite a divide between the richest and poorest people in Spain; the top 20 of Spanish earners are six times richer than the bottom 20%.

Spain also ranked just below the OECD average in employment levels. The results show that 58% of the working-age people in Spain have a paid job. This is a little below the 66% average. The study also shows that the Spanish work less hours than average. Spaniards work for an average of 1,690 hours in a year which is slightly less than the 1,776 average. Spain also performed a little blow par in education. Only 53% of adults aged between 25 and 64 hold a degree in Spain, which is significantly lower than the 74% OECD average.

The Good News


The good news is that, even though it’s bad that Spain has low job prospects and earnings, along with less highly educated people, the OECD study showcased how strong Spanish lifestyle and culture is. Spain has one of the longest life expectancies in the world; the Spanish life expectancy is 82 years; higher than the 80 years OECD average.

Spain also did well in terms of community. Spaniards are generally gregarious and friendly. They also possess a strong sense of civic duty that led to Spain doing well in this area. 93% of Spanish people said that they had someone they could call on if they found themselves in need; higher than the OECD average of 90%.
Spain also topped the tables in terms of the work-life balance; scoring a 9.1 out of 10.
Spain performed above average overall when compared to other nations in the Better Life Index. The cultural strength of the country made up for the shortcomings that gotten worse since the economy went down. Even though Spain still has some economic problems it remains one of the safest country in the world. Spain has the eighth-lowest homicide rate, great gender equality levels, low cost of living and an overall widespread sense of personal security is felt by every Spaniard.

Monday, 14 November 2016

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 13th 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.

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

TripAdvisor Names Spanish Restaurant Best in The World


TripAdvisor Names Spanish Restaurant Best in The World


The Lasarte restaurant near San Sebastian in Spain was recently named the World’s Best restaurant as part of the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice awards for the second year in a row.

Many people trust TripAdvisor to provide them with honest reviews of restaurants, resorts, and hotels. It’s become so well trusted that many consider it the authority on where to find the best and worst places to visit.
Its confirmed Spain has the best restaurant and on
of the healthiest lifestyles in the world
With this in mind it’s only expected that the three-Michelin star Lasarte restaurant welcomed the news that they had been ranked the best establishment in the world in the 2016 Annual Traveller’s Choice Awards with a little fanfare.

While it is true that Michelin Stars are still considered the main hallmark of quality it’s hard to beat being ranked the first in a global peer-reviewed survey. It’s not surprising that the top chef and owner of the restaurant Martín Berasategui was very happy about the news.

This year marks the second year in a row that the restaurant won the award. It’s an undoubtable sign that the restaurant and their twist on traditional Spanish cuisine has become a major hit around the world.

Lasarte wasn’t the only Spanish restaurant in the top ten. They were joined by Azurmendi Gastronómico, which can be found a few kilometres away from Lasarte in Larrabetzu. France was the only country besides Spain to have two restaurants rank top ten in the world.

Northern Spain has become a bit of a hotbed for haute cuisine excellence and innovation. Restaurants such as the unfortunately-now-closed El Bulli Restaurant drew crowds including celebrities to the town of Roses in Catalan for years.

TripAdvisor uses the reviews from millions of users to put together their Travellers Choice Awards. They look at both the quantity and quality of reviews that destinations receive along a 12 month period.

As well as putting together a global top 10 TripAdvisor assembled a list of the ten best restaurants in Europe. This list included a third Spanish restaurant; El Cellar de Can Roca in Girona.

There was quite the surprise in the results, especially for people who have a poor opinion of British food; the global top 10 also included three restaurants from the UK; which was the most of any single country.

Spain has always been in the news with its wonderful Mediterranean lifestyle, great weather, low costing property and cost of living being so appealing.

Thursday, 20 October 2016

New Study names Spain 7th Healthiest Nation in the World


New Study names Spain 7th Healthiest Nation in the World


Its confirmed the Costa del Sol is one of the healthiest
places to live in the world.
Everyone knows how healthy the Spanish diet is. Spain also has a great healthcare system and is generally regarded as a very safe country with an excellent low cost of living. Even so there are a lot of reasons that one might end up unhealthy in Spain so you might be surprised to think that Spain is somewhere one could lead a healthy and clean lifestyle.

There are so many bars, clubs, and restaurants in the country that you’d be surprised to learn Spain now has the certification to prove that it is one of the healthiest nations in the world. Not only are Spaniards living long and healthy lives – partly caused by all the fruit, veg and fish in the Mediterranean diet – but they are also some of the most active and disease-free people in the world.

The results came in on a recent worldwide project called the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). They were published last week in The Lancet and it looks like the research shows Spain is the seventh healthiest country in the world.

The study looked at a wide number of factors such as lifestyle choices and measurable metrics including infant and maternal mortality, how well a country manages the spread of diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis, the amount of road crash deaths, and how many people die as a result of substance and alcohol abuse.

When these parameters were assessed the study would then give each nation a percentage score. Spain was able to earn a score of 82% which put them on par with the Netherlands, Finland, and the UK. Spanish next-door neighbour Andorra came in just ahead with 83% and a score of 85% went to Iceland, Sweden and Singapore.

The other two nations that made up the top-ten were Canada and Australia who both came in at 81%.

Living in Spain came in quite well thanks to its healthcare system, low heart disease and infant mortality rates and the overall diet of Spain. There were other metrics that let Spain down including their record on alcohol abuse and suicide and they received an urgent call to improve their efforts to cut down on smoking. In terms of quitting smoking Spain scored one of the lowest scores in the West at 33%.

Most of the bottom spots were taken up, unsurprisingly, by the nations in sub-Saharan Africa. They were mostly let down due to the lack of healthcare, high levels of preventable diseases, contaminated water, air pollution and high levels of infant and maternal mortality.

Saturday, 3 September 2016

Spain Welcoming Tourists and World Media



Spain is breaking all records as Tourist flock to the country
Given that Spain has always been popular with the people it’s really strange how often the mainstream media just happen to stumble upon what the country has to offer.

While Spain could never be described as a hidden holiday gem that few people will ever get a chance to see, it’s also true that many media stories about Spain only focus on the negatives. Especially when it comes to the tourist sector. They seem unwilling to showcase the best there is.

Things have gotten a little different this summer. Many rival destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt are being passed over because of safety concerns. Even the south of France has found itself rocked by violence. Even the middle class media are beginning to see, and tout, Spain as being a safe haven for tourists and Spain is a great place to buy property.  

The Daily Telegraph recently published a list of 19 reasons that people are going back to Spain and this is a prime example of how everyone is softening up on Spain a little. It’s not often that the Telegraph of all publications would be so sympathetic and generous towards Spain. They would rather praise places such as Florence, Provence, and the Seychelles.

To give the Telegraph some credit though they have seen the unmissable trend that is that Spain is where everyone is going this summer and they published a very nice listicle showing the best of Spain.

Anyone who has been to Spain is unlikely to find something new but if you haven’t seen it here are some of the highlights from the Telegraph.

The cities: One of the great Spanish strengths is the wealth and beauty of the cities there. Barcelona, Seville, and everything in between are filled with history, culture, and fabulous foods.

The Moorish Heritage: If you’re talking about the Moorish heritage you need to talk about Andalucía, especially the Alhambra in Granada. Spain may have a varied and sometimes bloody history but it has left behind a wonderfully complex country with a rich architecture.

The lesser-known treats: La Coruña in Galicia deserves a look, especially because of their bountiful beaches and lovely old town; the ideal spot for some tapas. Another lesser-known treat is Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque country. History buffs should take a trip to the Roman aqueduct in Segovia.

The natural beauty: One thing Spain has in abundance is natural beauty; from the beaches, to the mountains, the non-stop sunshine. Almost everything in Spain is a real treat for the eyes and it’s something that everyone, even the Telegraph, knows all too well.

Thursday, 9 June 2016

Spain Officially Has The Best Beaches In The World



Costa del Sol has some amazing Beaches
Spain officially remains the best country in the world to take a trip to the beach. Spain managed to break the record it holds itself. The country now boasts 586 blue-flag beaches. Blue flags are only awarded to the cleanest and most environmentally friendly beaches and are awarded by the Association for Environmental Education and the Consumer (ADEAC), who also announced this news. 

This is nine more than the 577 blue flag beaches Spain had last year which means the country still boasts the most blue flag beaches in Spain, a record they have held on to since the awards were first handed out in 1987.

This statistic also means that one in every six of the best beaches in the world can be found in Span, and one beach out of five in Spain will have a blue flag flying.

There are four criteria involved in choosing whether a beach is blue flag worthy or not. They are the environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management and safety and services.

The best place in Spain was named as Valencia, which has 125 blue flags. Next came Galicia with 123, Catalonia with 98, Andalucía with 76, and the Balearic Islands with 45.

The country behind Spain in the rankings was Turkey with 444 blue flags. Behind Turkey was Greece with 430, France with 400, and Portugal with 315.

Sunday, 27 March 2016

Visitors to Spain Enjoy Best Value for Food and Drinks in The World!


Visitors to Spain Enjoy Best Value for Food and Drinks in The World!


Travellers to Spain will enjoy some of the lowest food prices in the world, according to a new survey.
Orange Square Marbella old town

The Post Office Travel Money report visited 46 different destinations across the world and rated Spain as the fourth-best value for food when the meal cost €47.30. The shopping basket in question contained a bottle of beer, a can of Coke, a glass of wine, mineral water, suncream, a packet of Marlboro cigarettes and a three-course meal for two including house wine.
A cup of coffee costs on average €1.27 in Costa del Sol, with the local beer costing around €2.13.
The gap in prices between Spain and the actual cheapest destination has risen from €1.32 last year to the far higher figure of over €7.90.
In all, the local cuisine in Spain is of the highest quality and with the prices and cost of living in Spain being so low, no wonder more and more holiday makers and lifestyle buyers are choosing Spain and the Costa del Sol there choice of holiday and home destination.

People just don't realise that living in the Costa del Sol really is so much cheaper than living in northern Europe by nearly one third cheaper which is extraordinary? The life expectancy is higher and with an average temperature of 20C all year around and a family orientated culture with the wonderful Mediterranean lifestyle Spain brings and only a few million inhabitants in the whole region, and central Europe only a short flight away, more and more British and northern Europeans are looking at southern Spain and the Costa del Sol to buy property for either a holiday home or a permanent lifestyle choice.
Buy a Spanish home and move to the Costa del Sol because life really is better in flip flops.