Passenger Numbers for Malaga Airport Take Off

Passenger Numbers for Malaga Airport Take Off 

Malaga Airport continues to break all passenger records

If you were to take facets of Spanish life and turn it into a graph, almost all of those lines would be sharply pointed upwards. Whether it’s the economy, house prices, jobs, or life expectancy – things are going well for Spain and her people. Now tourism can be thrown into this cocktail as this year is set to be the very best year for visitor numbers in Spain; spending, overnight stays, and the number of flights to and from the country are all up

The most popular tourist destinations are the ones leading the charge; the Balearics, the Canaries, the Costa Brava, and the Costa del Sol. While the passenger data from Malaga Airport in 2017 isn’t complete just yet, the stats for 2016 – recently published by the EU statistics agency Eurostat have proven to be encouraging. 

The data shows that there has been a 15.7$ increase in passenger numbers to Malaga airport in 2016 over 2015, making the Costa del Sol hub the second-fastest growing airport across all of Europe; falling just behind London-Luton. 

Around 16.6 million passengers in all passed through the Malaga airport across last year, a figure that is almost definitely going to be surpassed by the end of 2017. 

The figures from the El Prat airport in Barcelona have been even more impressive, bring in in 43.7 million passengers last year for an annual increase of 11%. Some locals might not be too happy about this though given that there have been campaigns in the city to limit tourism. 

All in all, Spanish airports proved to be the third-busiest in Europe in 2016, dealing with 194 million passengers. Germany proved to be second-busiest, with 201 million passengers (hardly surprising when you consider Germany has the biggest population in Europe), while the UK had the busiest airports welcoming 249 million passengers in 2016. This is a combination of Britain being such a strong tourist destination, as well as the collective desire of Brits to get away from the country and enjoy warmer climates elsewhere.

Spanish Property Sales up 16% in August

Spanish Property Sales up 16% in August

Property sales continue to rise

The 41,282 homes sold in August means that the Spanish property sector has once again enjoyed the benefits of the improved economic outlook across Europe in the summer. The sales figures for August come from official INE data and represent an increase of 16% compared to August of 2016. It’s the seventh year in a row that monthly home sales have increased for 2017.

The only anomaly in 2017 came when figures dipped slightly in April 2016 – a blip that is believed to be caused by April being the month of Easter this year.

August saw a nationwide increase in home sales across all 17 of the autonomous regions of Spain, with a 37.9% increase in Castilla-La Mancha and a 32.5% increase in Comunidad Valenciana, which saw 163 sales per 100,000 inhabitants.

When taken as a yearly figure through the end of August, Spanish home sales reached 315,795 so far in 2017; an increase of 14% compared to the same time period in 2016.

Looking even further, the 12 months between August of 2016 and 2017 shows 443,483 properties were sold. This represents an increase of 13.1% over the figure for the previous 12 months and showcases a massive increase of activity in the property market since 2014, when property sales were less than 300,000 annually.

Are Spaniards Really Living Longer Because of Siestas?

Are Spaniards Really Living Longer Because of Siestas?

Could the Siesta be the reason the Spanish enjoy a longer life?

The siesta is one of the most admired aspects of Spanish daily life that leaves other Europeans somewhat bemused and envious. 

Outside of the fact that there’s nothing stopping Brits, Germans, and Scandinavians from adopting the siesta culture themselves, most cultures have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea of napping for a few hours in the middle of the day. Could it be that the Spanish have been on to something for all these years though?

The truth is that Spaniards work for much longer than most other Europeans, and they’re also living longer than other Europeans; which begs the question of how much of that is because of siestas.

The latest World Happiness Report 2017 ranked nations on a range of metrics to determine happiness. One major one was longevity, which Spain came in second place for after Japan thanks to an 82.8 year life expectancy. 

This is hardly new of course, but researchers have been – albeit correctly – putting this down to the Mediterranean diet. While the diet is partly the reason why, the report believes that the humble siesta could have something to do with it as well.

People have the idea that Spaniards are just sleeping when the shops close between 2 and 5PM, but the reality is that this is how they organise their working shifts. If you work continuously with just half an hour for your lunch then you’re bound to eat a quick takeaway or some fast food. If you’re allowed to stop working for a few hours then you are more likely to go home or to a restaurant where you can relax and enjoy several courses and have the time needed to let it digest. That’s much healthier than any takeaway.

It’s not necessarily getting to sleep, but getting to relax and socialise during the day that may be giving Spaniards better longevity. The report also argued that the higher density of Spanish towns and cities mean Spaniards spend longer on their feet and walk much more during their day than other nationalities.

Spain Welcomes Record Numbers of Tourists and Foreign Property Activity in First Half of 2017

Spain Welcomes Record Numbers of Tourists and Foreign Property Activity in First Half of 2017

Spain has had another record breaking summer 

The Spanish property market and tourism industry is performing as well as ever, according to the latest data from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and the National Statistics Institute (INE). The data shows that several records were broken during the first half of 2017. 

Foreign investment in Spanish properties was pushed up to €888 million during the first half of the year, much higher than the amount spent during the first half of 2016; a paltry (by comparison) €330 million. 

JLL believe that overseas investors will snap up over €1 billion in Spanish property during 2017, which would make 2017 the eight year in a row where foreign investment in Spanish real estate has increased. 

Spain has been moving at full speed as far as tourism goes for several years now, but the latest data from the INE shows some 36.3 million tourists visited Spain during the first half of the year – which is the time BEFORE the busy summer months of July and August. 

This puts Spain in the position to smash through records set last year, and could mean over 80 million tourists visit the country in 2017, which would push Spain into the top spot for global tourism. 

There was another trend evident in the data; the connection between foreign property ownership and tourism. Around 8.5% of the tourists staying in Spain in 2017 did so in their own holiday accommodations; properties that had been purchased to be holidayed in. This marks the highest this figure has ever been, and it’s only going to increase.

It’s been a decade since the real estate crisis happened but now the Spanish property market appears to be thriving. People see the benefits of owning a Spanish property such as being able to better enjoy holidays and to relocate entirely. There’s no doubt Spain is set to see another record breaking year for international investment.

Property Sales up 11% in Malaga

Property Sales up 11% in Malaga

Costa Del Sol is a fantastic place to by property

The latest data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) of Spain shows that at least 15,185 properties changed hands in the province of Malaga during the first six months of the year. This is a 10% increase over the same period in 2016, and pushes Malaga into fourth place nationally, behind Madrid, Barcelona, and Alicante. 

On the regional level a third of properties sold in Andalucía – which encompasses Malaga, Almeria, Granada, Cordoba, Jaen, Sevilla, Huelva, and Cadiz, were in Malaga; the home of the perennial favourite Costa del Sol.

The Costa del Sol continues to lead the way with its wonderful climate, low cost of living and fantastic lifestyle,  welcoming southern Spanish people so its no wonder more and more expats and northern Europeans flock to live and buy property in southern Spain.

Buying property can be a so confusing, so that's why its important to choose a reliable real-estate company who can guild you and give you all the right points for and against buying each property shown. Costa Del Sol Property Group has a wealth of experience so call or contact us today . 

Data Shows Increase of 47% and 55% in Home Sales and Prices Respectively in Spain

Spain continues to recover and sales are on the up

Data Shows Increase of 47% and 55% in Home Sales and Prices Respectively in Spain

A report collating data about Spanish home sales and value has discovered that – during the first six months of the year – property sales increased 47% over the previous year, while the value of homes in recorded sales increased 55%. 

The data in the report comes from the global real estate firm Lucas Fox, which primarily operates in high-end markets. This is why the average property price in their portfolio during the past six months reached as high as €750,000, which is much higher than the Spanish average. Even so, it does say a lot about the health of the Spanish real estate sector. 

Home values in all price brackets increased steadily across Spain 2017. Even so, this 55% increase for the top level of properties is much higher than the rises seen in other parts of the country. The amount of homes Lucas Fox sold also offers a positive look at the wider national trends of Spain, with the country registering an increase in transactions for over 15 months in a row. 

The data also analysed where the property buyers came from. The number of British buyers dropped 10% over last year – likely do to the impact of Brexit on the pound against the Euro. On the other hand, buyers from the US and Canada made up 10% of the property purchases in Spain. 32% of the Spanish properties sold were purchased to be either a second home or an investment. 23% of the properties sold were sold as a primary residence. 

Lucas Fox co-founder Alexander Vaughn says that the Spanish economy is one of the fastest growing ones in the Eurozone. This is bringing a lot of confidence to the property market. There’s been more interest from property investors who now feel that Spanish real estate has a lot of potential for capital gains and profitability from rentals. Lucas Fox expects the price recovery being observed now in cities will soon spread to the rest of the country.

Agents from Lucas Fox said that they saw a 150% increase in Marbella property sales, with 80% of the increase coming from Scandinavian buyers.

Spain Takes Third Place in Expat Quality of Life Survey

Spain Takes Third Place in Expat Quality of Life Survey

The weather, food and welcoming people of Spain,

help keep Spain as a top destination

The latest InterNations survey places Spain as the third best place in the world to live as an expat. The poll, which is conducted each year, surveyed 12,500 expats to rate 43 aspects of life in their new home on a scale of one to seven.

InterNations – the largest expat network in the world – take the data and calculate average scores for each country with it. They published their top 17 ranking last week, with Portugal taking top place. The country climbed up 13 places, scoring well in terms of climate and leisure. Second place went to Taiwan.

Spain reaching third place was an improvement on the fourth place it reached last year, with expats praising the Spanish climate, cultural attractions, leisure options, and ability to support high levels of personal happiness. The other countries in the top five were Singapore in fourth place and the Czech Republic in fifth. The other noticeable rankings were Germany in 10^th place, Canada coming in 13^th, and New Zealand coming in 15^th.

Spain always performs well in surveys like this, as it always scores well when it comes to health, happiness, and leisure. The country would score poorly on economic and employment factors for a while though. As the economy of Spain continues to improve, the concerns about the job market and pay are much weaker than they used to be.

It goes without saying that the climate, cuisine, beaches, landscape, safety, security, and overall accessibility of Spain – the blend that makes it such a hot spot for tourism – forms the foundation for a number of successful and happy expats.