Surprise, surprise, it’s still the Brits in the lead. In spite of so much negativity on the part of many commentators and market analysts, almost willing the British market to collapse to back-up their argument, it is proving remarkably resilient. I wasn’t one of the doom and gloom brigade, I looked at the figures rather than speculate. With the Brexit referendum there were just 816 fewer UK buyers compared with 2016. The impact on the wider overseas market was zero, given that foreign buyers increased by 12,478 over the same period.
The Lifestyle in Spain
For lifestyle Spain is hard to beat, it’s relaxed and easy-going, safe and child-friendly. Life expectancy rose by ten years at 80 years for men and 85 years for women. Spaniards have the highest life expectancy in Europe and are second worldwide. The climate suits all tastes. It ranges from four seasons with a proper winter and lots of snow in the north to the sub-tropical south. The micro-climate zones on the Mediterranean coasts of Andalucía have the best winter temperatures on the European mainland. And not for nothing are The Canary Islands often referred to as Europe’s Caribbean. Once again, Spain’s beaches and marinas have more Blue Flags than any other country in the world, a total of 691. In fact, Spain has occupied the top spot ever since the scheme began in 1987.
For the cultural tourist Spain has some of the oldest cities in the world and 47 UNESCO World Heritage sites. This puts it in third place globally, behind Italy (54) and China (53). Within Spain, Andalucía is the region with the highest number (8) of recognized sites. The latest one to be be awarded UNESCO status was the Medina Azahara near Córdoba in 2018.
Living well is affordable with food and drink prices below the E.U. average according to Eurostat. Spanish cuisine is world-class. For the third year running Spain has three restaurants listed in the top ten restaurants in the world, more than any other country. And there’s a total of seven in the top fifty. Sports and outdoor enthusiasts are spoilt for choice. Golf, tennis, skiing, wind & kite surfing, mountain biking, rock-climbing, hiking, fishing – the list goes on and on. The result is that Spain has a quality of life that’s hard to beat!
