Why Buy in Spain?
As the second most popular tourist destination on the Planet the long term
prospects for Spain look very bright indeed. So why is Spain so popular?
It is not easy to sum up a country as vast and diverse as Spain but the attractions
are obvious: Beautiful beaches, year round sunshine, excellent and affordable
cuisine, wonderful mountain ranges, fabulous cities - Madrid, Valencia, Seville,
Barcelona to mention a few. Recent years have seen vast improvements to the
infrastructure so that Spain is now a very secure place to buy property. Simply
put Spain has one of the most diverse and enigmatic cultures on earth coupled
with wonderful natural beauty and the sort of laid back lifestyle that makes
living or vacationing in Spain a truly pleasurable experience.
- Regardless of economic ups and downs the weather/climate remains without question the best in Europe with an average of 320 days of sunshine and the average year-round temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.
- Wonderful history and diverse culture, warm and safe Mediterranean Sea & beaches.
- Easy access and cheap flights from the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe in as little as 2 hours.
It is predicted that 800,000 families from the UK and from Germany alone will purchase property in Spain over the next five years.
- Spain is booming - since becoming a fully integrated member of the European
Community it has been one of the greatest recipients of Common Market aid.
This investment in Spain has been reflected in the infrastructure, with
a superior road and rail system linking modern airports.
- The backbone of the Spanish economy is tourism, and Spain remains the second most popular holiday destination in the world (see table below), bringing in an enormous amount of foreign currency.
| 2006 rank |
Country | Arrivals (millions) | Percent change 2005/2004 |
Percent
change 2006/2005 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2006 | ||||
| 1. | France | 75.9 | 79.1 | 1.0% | 4.2% |
| 2. | Spain | 55.9 | 58.5 | 6.6 | 4.5 |
| 3. | United States | 49.2 | 51.1 | 6.8 | 3.8 |
| 4. | China | 46.8 | 49.6 | 12.1 | 6.0 |
| 5. | Italy | 36.5 | 41.1 | -1.5 | 12.4 |
| 6. | United Kingdom | 28.0 | 30.7 | 9.2 | 9.3 |
| 7. | Germany | 21.5 | 23.6 | 6.8 | 9.6 |
| 8. | Mexico | 21.9 | 21.4 | 6.3 | -2.6 |
| 9. | Austria | 20.0 | 20.3 | 3.0 | 1.5 |
| 10. | Russian Federation | 19.9 | 20.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
Source: World Tourism Organization (WTO).
- For Spain the UK is a major source of tourists and
expats. The expected population growth* of more than 7% for the UK over the
next 20 years is therefore very good news. (*source: population reference
bureau).
- Spain is generally accepted as being politically stable with a prosperous future ahead. Investing in property should be seen as long term - it could be a high risk strategy to invest in a cheaper but less established destination where stability and growth is not proven - who knows what might happen over the next decade or so.
For more information on Buying Spanish Property see the - Buyers Guide to Buying Spanish Property
