Always warm... and open all year
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(IMAGEN © TURISMO ANDALUZ, S.A.)[/caption]
The message could not have been clearer, and the timing impeccable. It was 8.30 on a foggy morning in Berlin, six degrees centigrade, and the president of the Costa del Sol Patronato de Turismo (Tourism Board), Elías Bendodo, was addressing 50 industry professionals in one of the German parliament’s meeting rooms.
Extolling the virtues of southern Spain, he noted that the temperature back home was 17 degrees, and it was already shaping up to be a gloriously sunny day. In fact, he added, referring to the Patronato’s “Always Warm” promotional campaign in Germany, coinciding with the ITB Berlin travel trade show, the Costa del Sol enjoyed 325 days of sunshine a year.
Clearly one excellent reason why 643,450 Germans arrived at Málaga airport in 2013, an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year – but by no means the only reason.
As Bendodo pointed out, the Costa del Sol – and Andalucía as a whole – offers many attractions other than sun and sea to ease the seasonal nature of tourism that tends to be commonplace in most other beach resorts, and that means more tourists throughout the year (especially during the crucial October to March period), many of whom eventually buy or rent homes and become “residential tourists” and even permanent residents.
And not just Germans: British, Irish, Nordic and, more recently, Russian visitors are just some of the wonderful potpourri of nationalities who have been enchanted by an idyllic destination categorised into several key segments by the tourism authorities, including beaches (160 kilometres along the coastline), culture, nature, adventure tourism, gastronomy, cruise ship hub, leisure and golf (a total of 70 courses, “open all year”) – in addition to a modern infrastructure and excellent flight connections to Europe’s main cities (including 15 in Germany this winter). Over the past year, the Patronato has also added the brand “Health & Wellness Costa del Sol” to that list, and is currently creating a nautical tourism division.
So the bottom line is that international tourism to the Coast is expected to continue to rise this year, and foreign demand for property is also predicted to provide ongoing good news for the local real estate market.
The “bad news” could be reserved for those who have been contemplating purchasing a home in the southern Spanish sun but are holding back in the expectation that prices will fall even lower. That may still be true in some cases – mostly, the less coveted areas – but experts are increasingly warning that the market appears to have hit rock bottom and is moving in a more positive direction, and the best deals still available may elude those who waver.
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Excellent bargain near Puerto Bánus[/caption]
For example, the apartment featured here, where the owner urgently needs to sell and is likely to be extremely accommodating to the first prospective buyer who comes up with a reasonable offer and can facilitate a quick deal.
Located in the quiet Los Naranjos urbanisation, just one kilometre from Puerto Banús and within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and tennis courts, the well-maintained, fully-furnished one-bedroom duplex penthouse apartment receives sun on both its terraces all day and has access to several community swimming pools.
The first floor comprises a spacious living room with an open fireplace and a private south and west-facing terrace, and on the top floor a large roof terrace overlooks La Concha mountain to the east.
Click
here to see more.
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(IMAGEN © TURISMO ANDALUZ, S.A.)[/caption]
The message could not have been clearer, and the timing impeccable. It was 8.30 on a foggy morning in Berlin, six degrees centigrade, and the president of the Costa del Sol Patronato de Turismo (Tourism Board), Elías Bendodo, was addressing 50 industry professionals in one of the German parliament’s meeting rooms.
Extolling the virtues of southern Spain, he noted that the temperature back home was 17 degrees, and it was already shaping up to be a gloriously sunny day. In fact, he added, referring to the Patronato’s “Always Warm” promotional campaign in Germany, coinciding with the ITB Berlin travel trade show, the Costa del Sol enjoyed 325 days of sunshine a year.
Clearly one excellent reason why 643,450 Germans arrived at Málaga airport in 2013, an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year – but by no means the only reason.
As Bendodo pointed out, the Costa del Sol – and Andalucía as a whole – offers many attractions other than sun and sea to ease the seasonal nature of tourism that tends to be commonplace in most other beach resorts, and that means more tourists throughout the year (especially during the crucial October to March period), many of whom eventually buy or rent homes and become “residential tourists” and even permanent residents.
And not just Germans: British, Irish, Nordic and, more recently, Russian visitors are just some of the wonderful potpourri of nationalities who have been enchanted by an idyllic destination categorised into several key segments by the tourism authorities, including beaches (160 kilometres along the coastline), culture, nature, adventure tourism, gastronomy, cruise ship hub, leisure and golf (a total of 70 courses, “open all year”) – in addition to a modern infrastructure and excellent flight connections to Europe’s main cities (including 15 in Germany this winter). Over the past year, the Patronato has also added the brand “Health & Wellness Costa del Sol” to that list, and is currently creating a nautical tourism division.
So the bottom line is that international tourism to the Coast is expected to continue to rise this year, and foreign demand for property is also predicted to provide ongoing good news for the local real estate market.
The “bad news” could be reserved for those who have been contemplating purchasing a home in the southern Spanish sun but are holding back in the expectation that prices will fall even lower. That may still be true in some cases – mostly, the less coveted areas – but experts are increasingly warning that the market appears to have hit rock bottom and is moving in a more positive direction, and the best deals still available may elude those who waver.
[caption id="attachment_853" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Excellent bargain near Puerto Bánus[/caption]
For example, the apartment featured here, where the owner urgently needs to sell and is likely to be extremely accommodating to the first prospective buyer who comes up with a reasonable offer and can facilitate a quick deal.
Located in the quiet Los Naranjos urbanisation, just one kilometre from Puerto Banús and within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and tennis courts, the well-maintained, fully-furnished one-bedroom duplex penthouse apartment receives sun on both its terraces all day and has access to several community swimming pools.
The first floor comprises a spacious living room with an open fireplace and a private south and west-facing terrace, and on the top floor a large roof terrace overlooks La Concha mountain to the east.
Click here to see more.