• Alicante airport reports record year with 974,449 passengers in May alone (ANEA)
• Costa Blanca remains a favourite destination for Brits with majority of flights arriving in Alicante coming from UK (ANEA)
• New Flybe flights from Southampton Airport to Alicante and Malaga this summer
• Taylor Wimpey España answering demand with new joint venture in the Costa Blanca

According to ANEA (Spanish Airports and Air Navigation public body) the Costa Blanca’s main airport, Alicante-Elche, is celebrating a record year and is steadily reaching its target of ten million users for 2014.

Figures recorded in May revealed huge traffic, some 974,449 passengers passing through the airport, 4.8% more than in the same month in 2013 which, alongside the recovery of the national tourism market growing by 2% (almost 94,000 travellers), shows increasingly positive signs for the region.

Regarding operations, the airport handled 6,875 flights during May, 3.6% more than the same month last year and once again, the UK was the European country which had the most flights to Alicante (6,875), reaffirming the British love affair with the Costa Blanca.

Indeed, of the total 974,449 travellers last month, 880,139 were foreigners (a 5% increase on last year) and of these a whopping 452,261 were British, not forgetting 73,109 Germans, 57,449 Norwegians, 58,001 Dutch and 45,329 Belgians, all hot-footing it to Alicante for the summer season.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director for leading Spanish home builder, Taylor Wimpey Espana, comments,

“It’s no surprise that in today’s competitive holiday market, people from all over Europe are looking for the best available deals to get the most for their money, and places like the UK’s favourite – Alicante – offer just that. Many holiday-makers prefer to stick to what they know and the cheaper cost of travel and indeed living in Spain makes the country perennially attractive to bargain hunters.”

Making travelling to Spain even easier from the UK this year, the low cost airline Flybe, announced it will be adding two new destinations to its list, launching new flights from Southampton Airport to Alicante and Malaga this summer.

Pritchard continues,

“This is excellent news for Spain. These routes are to very popular holiday destinations and have the potential to significantly increase traffic to the country. We are even more excited by the increase in passenger numbers this year as we have just completed a joint venture in the Costa Blanca with Grupo Inmobiliario Gomendio of an amazing front line residential development, La Recoleta III, with direct beach access in Punta Prima, Torrevieja just an hour away from Alicante airport. All south facing apartments have superb views over the swimming pool, private gardens and sea with Playa Piteras beach, only 400 feet away. This kind of location has not been seen in the second homes market for a good few years and we are confident it will be a hit from just 142.000€.”

For those who are thinking about making a Spanish property purchase this year on the sunny Costa Blanca, why not take a look at what Taylor Wimpey España has to offer in 2014?

The Calpesol residential complex is situated in the small tourist town of Calpe, in a desirable, peaceful spot only 5 minutes from the beach. It consists of properties boasting 3 bedrooms, cloakroom, 2 bathrooms, terrace, private garden and also benefits from outdoor parking, all for just €168,000.

Located one hour from Valencia and 35 minutes from Alicante, these beautiful homes, located in a scenic beachside valley surrounded by mountain landscape, offering various activities such as water sports and golf, are not to be missed!

For more information contact Taylor Wimpey España today on 08000 121 020 or visit  www.taylorwimpeyspain.com for more information.  If you reside outside of the UK you will need to call +34 971 70 69 72.

Freezing winters, buoyant economies, much improved flight routes and a love of the Mediterranean lifestyle – is it little wonder that Scandinavians are now one of the fastest growing groups of foreign buyers of Spanish property?

According to Knight Frank’s Global Property Search, online searches for properties in Spain increased by 29% over the first three months of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013. With more than a fifth of all Spanish residential sales – 55,187 transactions – made by foreign buyers.

For the first time in several years, demand is outstripping supply in the Spanish second home market, with more and more Scandinavian buyers in particular, looking for their ideal property in the sun.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director for leading Spanish house builder, Taylor Wimpey España comments,

“The interest from Scandinavian markets continues to boom as buyers take advantage of favourable exchange rates and reduced Spanish house prices to purchase their dream second home abroad. Scandinavians, particularly those from Sweden and Norway, now make up over a fifth of our buyers in Spain – a huge increase on previous years.”

Indeed, a real estate report, including a detailed analysis of the data made available from the Association of the Property Registries and the General Council of the Notary Offices, has confirmed strong growth in the percentage of home purchases by foreigners with respect to the total home purchases in Spain over the last 4 years. These figures showed that purchases reached 11.15% in 2013 (12.85% in the fourth quarter of 2013), a stark contrast to only 4.24% of sales as seen in 2009.

Furthermore, another significant fact shown in the report is that the group of the 10 principal countries purchasing homes in Spain (Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Algeria and China) has been very stable in the last few years suggesting recovery of the market.

For those on the hunt for the perfect Spanish property, why not take a look at what Taylor Wimpey España has to offer on the Costa Blanca, a hotspot for Scandinavian buyers.

The new La Recoleta apartments are located in a stunning location in Punta Prima, Torrevieja on the wonderful Costa Blanca.

La Recoleta’s Mediterranean style buildings, wide avenues leading down to the sea, immaculate garden areas and well-run services make this a perfect place to relax and enjoy the fantastic climate all year around.

The 2 or 3 bed apartments, available from EUR 142,000 have a well-designed layout with private terraces for those all-important summer barbeques, afford beautiful views over the sea, swimming pool and private gardens.

For more information please contact Taylor Wimpey España today on 08000 121 020 or visit www.taylorwimpeyspain.com. If you reside outside of the UK you will need to call 0034 971 70 69 72.

Adding even more excitement and anticipation to this summer holiday season, the prestigious Blue Flag organisation has awarded Spanish beaches a total of 681 Blue Flags. Spain has once again maintained its place as the leader in the Northern Hemisphere for Blue Flags, swiping 34 extra flags. These were made up of 23 beaches and 11 marinas which breaks all historical records.

The biggest Blue Flag increase was seen in the Balearic Islands, now totalling a whooping 85 delightfully clean and pristine beaches and marinas (an increase of 23 from 2013). Murcia came in second with 33, adding a further 7 to their total since last year.

This highly coveted international award, pays tribute to beaches which adhere to strict criteria. These include water quality, cleanliness, safety, accessibility and services and the awards are judged by a global panel under the prestigious Blue Flag Programme.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey España comments,

“We know that clean beaches are an important feature for most people looking for their dream property in the sun and those proudly flying the Blue Flag are particularly sought after. Beaches across Spain and its islands have been improving year on year and it´s very pleasing to see the number awarded the Blue Flag rising yet again in 2014 confirming to me that Spain is the best beach capital of the world.

“The cost to councils to ensure that their beaches gain the prestigious Blue Flag is considerable and we are keen to promote the message to our owners as this is something that Spain should feel very proud of.”

Indeed with such an acclaimed coastline it´s no wonder that in the first quarter of 2014, over 10 million tourists have visited Spanish shores, up 7.1% from the same period last year. It is well known that tourists are attracted to beautiful beaches and Mallorca definitely pulls in a big beach crowd. Boasting 41 Blue Flag beaches on its 555km coastline, building giant Taylor Wimpey de España enjoys building beautiful developments close to the shore as they can.

For those interested in owning a home just 50m from a Blue Flag award beach, then why not consider Taylor Wimpey Espana’s latest luxury offering?

The Cala Magrana III is a residential complex situated a stone’s throw away from the beach and the dazzling marina of Porto Cristo. The development consists of 2 bedroom apartments in a Mallorcan design surrounding a landscaped communal garden with a large swimming pool.

It is an ideal location for those wishing to really relax and enjoy their holiday, away from the more commercial tourist resorts but still only a few minutes away from outstanding blue flag beaches and high quality restaurants.

The area offers a wide range of amenities giving you the chance to sample the delights of the local cuisine or explore the famous caves of Drach. With a variety of local water sports and various golf courses to try, Cala Magrana is a perfect choice.

Prices start from €183,300 + VAT. Contact Taylor Wimpey España today on 08000 121 020 or visit www.taylorwimpeyspain.com for more information. If you reside outside of the UK you will need to call 00 34 971 706 244.

According to KPMG’s most recent survey from the Golf Advisory Practice, there are close to 400 new golf facilities in the EMA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region which have opened after 2008 or started development since the economic downturn. Even though the pace of development has slowed, mainly as a result of the credit crunch, there is still activity in the market. There’s no doubt about it, golf remains of the most popular sports today and the love of the game doesn’t seem to be waning no matter how tight pockets may be squeezed.

• Europe’s most popular golf destination is Spain (KPMG Golf Advisory survey 2014)
• PGA Open de España returns to Spain for the first time since 2009 (15th – 18th May 2014)
• Increase in demand for golf property across prime locations in Spain (Taylor Wimpey España)

Highlighting the importance of golf in Spain are high profile Tours such as the PGA European tour, Open de España, which returns to the Catalunya Resort this week (15th – 18th May 2014) for the first time since 2009, are once again frequenting Iberian shores bringing in the crowds and driving accommodation demands up.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director for leading Spanish home builder Taylor Wimpey Españacomments,

“The importance of golf tourism to Spain and the wider European economy is abundantly clear and despite being hit by the recession over the last few years, it’s certainly making a comeback hand in hand with the property market.

“Indeed, as stated by the National Golf Federation a whopping 56 million people worldwide play golf with Spain alone poised to attract a large percentage of these golf travellers in the years ahead. The demand for golf properties Europe´s most popular golf destination, Spain, has and will remain strong. Here at Taylor Wimpey España we continue to sell out golf developments on both mainland Spain and the islands very swiftly. Last year our Los Arqueros development in the Costa Del Sol sold out, 114 luxury apartments in just 11 weeks!”
But it’s not just the Costas which are benefiting from the boost of the recent PGA European Tour; demand for golf property in other prime Spanish locations is also increasing according to Taylor Wimpey de España. Enquiries for second homes in Mallorca have almost doubled in the first quarter of 2014 in comparison to the same period last year.

The Mallorcan market is particularly interesting. The largest of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca offers a different experience to mainland Spain, it has unique culture and traditions and breath taking beaches. Sales on the island are booming thanks to foreign buyers and Taylor Wimpey España continues to strive to find the very best sites to develop residential communities in order to keep up with the high demand.

The brand new Camp de Mar Beach development offers a very rare opportunity to buy a well-priced new townhouse on the south west of Mallorca, located in Camp de Mar, within walking distance to the best golf courses on the island and a beautiful beach, about 25 minutes from Palma and 30 minutes to the airport.

The development consists of 2 and 3 bedroom townhouses in a gated community designed to a Mediterranean style with beautiful landscaped gardens and a large modern swimming pool. With the Andratx Golf Clubhouse being just 50 metres away for all owners to enjoy and a few minutes’ walk to the stunning beach of Camp de Mar, these properties are definitely not to be missed at just €377.000.

For more information please contact Taylor Wimpey España today on 08000 121 020 or visitwww.taylorwimpeyspain.com. If you reside outside of the UK you will need to call 0034 971 70 69 72.

It seems the Spanish housing market has finally turned the corner. According to the latest figures based on actual transactions from the General Council of Notaries, home sales in February 2014 were up by 39.8% (to 26,602 transactions) when compared with February 2013.

• Spanish home sales in February 2014 rose by 39.8% (General Council of Notaries)
• Sales of private apartments in new homes up by 24.1% (General Council of Notaries)
• Asking prices for Spanish property increase by 8.9% throughout Jan and steadily on the up (General Council of Notaries)

This increase in transactions is reflected in all segments of the residential property market, including the sale of private apartments, with sales of those in new homes soaring by 24.1%.

The report also showed that the value of property sold so far this year has steadied, after an increase in prices of 8.9% in January. While in February there was a slight increase in the average selling price (which was up 0.6%), the figures corroborate reports that asking prices have finally stabilised over the  last three months.

Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey España comments,

“We’ve seen that sales are steadily increasing and prices are stabilising … could this be the much-anticipated beginning of a new chapter for the property market in Spain?

“Another indicator of confidence in the market came from the construction industry, where new build completions have also stabilised. Considering this sector took the biggest blow as a result of the economic crisis, it is now visibly on the up. Here at Taylor Wimpey España alone we have acquired 12 new plots and developments.”

The latest analysis from Spanish property portal Kyero has pinpointed exactly what buyers are looking for. The data shows that Alicante and the Costa Blanca continue to be the most attractive areas for foreign buyers, accounting for 31% of all enquiries generated, followed by Malaga in second place, which attracted almost 14% of enquiries.

The most popular properties by far were apartments, which generated 41% of enquiries. These were followed by villas (28%) and country houses (15%). In terms of accommodation size, 3-bed properties attracted the most interest (34%), though they were followed closely by 2-bed properties (30%).

In terms of cost, the most attractive price band when it came to foreign buyers was €50K to €150K, with 47% of all enquiries falling into this bracket.

So for those looking for their perfect place in the Spanish sunshine, it seems there is no time like the present. Prices are continuing to rise and the strength of the pound against the Euro is once again in the favour of British buyers, leading many to take a closer look at what Taylor Wimpey España has to offer.

Brisas de Alenda Golf is a beautiful residential development on the Costa Blanca that typifies the type of high specification, well-built property that Brits are looking for. The private complex offers 3 bedroom properties with generous private gardens, communal swimming pool and club house, as well as a gym, bar and restaurant all available from just €145,000 + VAT.

Designed to optimize the light and the space and with the best finishes and facilities, the Brisas de Alenda townhouses enjoy a peaceful location adjacent to the Alenda Golf Course, while the wonderful white sands of the Costa Blanca are a mere 15 minute drive away.

For more information please contact Taylor Wimpey España today on 08000 121 020 or visit www.taylorwimpeyspain.com. If you reside outside of the UK you will need to call 0034 971 70 69 72.