Spain sees highest tourist numbers in almost two decades

A record 34 million foreigners arrived on Spanish shores in the January-July period, an increase of 3.9% on last year, providing welcome news for property investors looking for a second home in the sun.

Frontur recorded that a whopping 7.9 million people visited in July, up 2.9% from July 2012 and despite economic uncertainty across Europe, the British led the influx with 1.8 million visitors, followed by France and Germany with 1.2 million each.

 Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Manager for Taylor Wimpey España comments: "This comes as great news for the Spanish economy as tourism plays such an important role in GDP. It is also a promising sign for the EU as a whole as evidently consumers are feeling more financially confident and are spending money on holidays abroad.  

"Here at Taylor Wimpey España we have seen this confidence also extend to the property market as visitors look to make their stay more permanent in favourite holiday destinations across Spain. We have experienced a huge success in the Costa del Sol in particular, with Los Arqueros Beach, our new luxury off-plan development in Marbella consisting of 114 penthouse style apartments selling out in just under a year to buyers from 16 different nations across the world.”

Indeed, according to the Frontur report, Andalucía, a region associated with sherry, tapas,whitewashed hill towns and beautiful beaches, saw the largest rise in international visitors, welcoming almost 1 million tourists in July alone, a jump of 8.5% compared to the same period last year.  

This marked increase in tourists to the perennially popular region is set to rise further as more and more budget airlines introduce extra flights to their Autumn/Winter schedules flying to Malaga international airport from across Europe and beyond.