Survey finds Spain is where British expats are happiest

January 24, 2012 – 10:25 pm

Brits happiest in Tenerife and Spain says survey

British expats are happiest in Spain, followed by Canada and Germany, according to new research which also examined their cost of living and financial well being.

The survey by Lloyds TSB International also found that overall British expats are far happier in their adopted countries than in the UK.

Overall, 68% of those asked said that they felt happier where they were than in the UK, although for certain countries this figure was much higher. Spain ranked number one for expat happiness, with over three quarters, 75.9%, of Brits living there saying they are happier than back at home. Germany also rates highly on the happiness scale with 71% saying they are happier than in the UK.

Source: ExpatForum.com

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British emigrants in Spain receiving sickness benefits

January 13, 2012 – 6:04 am

Some Spanish and Tenerife residents receiving over £90 a week in benefits from UK

At least 10,000 British emigrants are receiving sickness benefits of up to £94 a week while living abroad, according to figures published yesterday. The combined total could cost the taxpayer close to £50million a year.

Over the next three years, major changes are being introduced to incapacity benefit, including a tougher medical test for claimants and the re-testing of existing recipients. But officials have admitted that about 4,000 older recipients of the benefit living in Spain, Jamaica and elsewhere will be able to continue drawing the payment until they reach retirement age.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Holiday lettings market set to become more popular, research suggests

December 16, 2011 – 11:09 am

Interest in purchasing property to let in Tenerife and Spain returns

The financial benefits of investing in a holiday home are becoming increasingly apparent as more British people are considering investing in this area, according to a new report.

The holiday lets marketplace could be set to spike again over the next five to ten years as a quarter of Britons are considering investing in a holiday home according to the Holiday Lettings’ Insights Report.

Of those who would invest in overseas property, more than half, 59%, said that with prices currently low, the long term capital gain opportunities were appealing.

Some 25% of those surveyed said that they would consider investing in a holiday home in order to supplement their income. The report also reveals that Holiday Lettings’ customers, holiday home owners with properties worldwide, are thought to have earned an estimated £540 million this year.

Estate agents in Tenerife and Spain are noticing an upturn in enquiries for holiday property

Source: PropertyCommunity.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Spanish rental property still tops

December 9, 2011 – 10:36 am

Spanish rental property still tops with the British

Overseas property buyers can get an idea of where they are likely to find a good rental market for their holiday home from a new survey that reveals Spain has been the top destination of 2011.

The quarter three Marketplace Report from holiday rentals specialists HomeAway also shows that there has been an increase in the rentals market in Thailand and Dubai.

More British people than ever opted for Spain as their top summer destination. In terms of the number of booking enquiries for breaks in the third quarter of the year Malaga Province and Majorca claimed first and second place, followed by Ibiza in sixth place.

There was also a clear preference towards short haul destinations with nine out of the top ten destinations for summer 2011 holidays being either in the UK, or within a three hour flight distance.

Source: PropertyCommunity.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New brand created by tourist board to encourage Brits to buy a home

November 29, 2011 – 9:13 am

Costa del Sol brand designed to encourage Brits to buy homes.

The Tourist Board of the Costa del Sol has created the new brand ‘Living Costa del Sol’ with the aim of encouraging the British to buy a home and reside in the region for at least six months of the year, an initiative which is directed at clearing some of the surplus of about 30,000 homes.

The President of the organisation, Elias Bendodo, presented the brand at the World Travel Market tourism fair being held in London this week. He also told reporters that it is their intention that this initiative will also be used in promotional activities to be carried out in Germany, France and the Nordic countries.

According to Bendodo, ‘Living Costa del Sol’ was developed in collaboration with developers, insurance companies and financial institutions, and aims to attract new British residents, reduce the amount of unsold finished homes, located primarily in the west of the Spanish mainland, and boost Spain’s economic recovery.

The President of the Malaga organisation also assured that the developers are “fascinated with the idea”, and stressed the importance of having legal guarantees, for working with insurance companies in the countries to which the brand is focused, reported El Mundo.

Source: Kyero.com

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Low cost airlines transport more than half of Spain’s air traffic.

October 28, 2011 – 6:48 pm

Cheap flights to Spain and Tenerife

Low cost airlines carried 28.9 million passengers during the first nine months of the year, which is a 14.1% increase over the same period in 2010, compared to regular airlines, who carried 21.4 million passengers, an 8.3% rise, according to data released this week by the Institute of Tourism Studies for the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, reported Cinco Dias.

Thus, the low cost airlines accounted for more than half of Spain’s air traffic up to September, at 57.5%, compared to the traditional airlines who commanded 42.5% of the travellers.

By market, the UK and Germany lead the figures for budget airline travel, with 36.8% and 20% respectively of passengers who chose this path, which is up 10.2% for the British market (at 10.6 million passengers) and 6.6% for German travellers (with 5.7 million passengers).

In September, low cost airlines transported 3.8 million passengers, a 12.4% increase, while the traditional airlines carried 2.7 million passengers, representing an increase of 8.4%. Of the 6.5 million international passengers who arrived in Spain by air last month 58.8% did so using ‘low cost’ companies.

Source: Kyero.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

British buyers still love Spain and Tenerife

October 6, 2011 – 9:25 am

The Brits love affair with Tenerife and Spanish property continues

British buyers have long had a love affair with property in Spain but now it seems it is other overseas buyers who are helping the real estate market to recover.

Despite a downturn in the number of British buyers specialist Murcia estate agent, Mercers, has just experienced its best summer sales period for five years with buyers coming from Norway, Sweden, Spain, France, and Ireland.

Murcia is attracting a diverse international audience who are lured by four key factors, the Paramount branded Theme Park that is being built, golf, improved accessibility and, above all, price.

‘We know that Spain is far from being out of the woods in terms of its property crisis but you can’t generalise the nation as a whole. The region of Murcia is certainly poised in pole position for recovery. Price is the driving force that puts Murcia as the top searched for Spanish destination as confirmed by leading property portals,’ said Chris Mercer, director of Mazarron based Mercers.

Source: PropertyWire.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Expat savers unlikely to see interest rates rise in the near future.

September 28, 2011 – 2:11 pm

Expats in Tenerife unlikely to see interest rates rise in the near future

Expat British savers are unlikely to see interest rates rising for some time and whatever currency they use face poor growth prospects, according to a leading UK bank.

‘Growth prospects in the UK, Eurozone and US have worsened following a series of poor economic data. This, coupled with low domestically generated inflation in those markets, makes it less likely that central banks will increase interest rates any time soon, says Trevor Williams, economist at Lloyds TSB.

‘In fact, we now forecast that the UK base interest rate will be held at its current, historically low level of 0.5% until the third quarter of 2012. In the UK, the market is becoming less focused on inflation and more pre-occupied with the prospect of weakening growth,’ he explained.

He pointed out that the UK job market, a key indicator of growth, has softened noticeably in recent months and the preferred measure of unemployment stayed at 7.9% in the three months to July, just off its highest rate in 15 years.

Source: ExpatForum.com

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Expat children enjoy a better quality of life says survey

September 20, 2011 – 8:11 am

Expats children in tenerife have better quality of life. states survey

It has been revealed that expat children enjoy the good life and are likely to be benefiting from better education, higher safety levels and improved health and well-being as a result of their parents decision to live overseas. Expat parents report their children are more likely to be learning new languages (84%), playing more sports (47%) and spending more time with their family (53%) while on the whole, enjoying their new life abroad (85%). Living overseas appears to have a positive impact on the lifestyles of expat families; however, the UK fared less well among parents who had relocated. Overall the UK found itself bottom of the league table of the 14 countries that formed the survey sample of 30+ respondents at country-level. The UK is the worst performing country for both the childcare and the health and well-being categories when expat parents were asked to compare it to their home countries. In addition, it appears that the UK is also among the most expensive places to raise a child, ranking bottom (14th) for both the general costs of raising children and more specifically for the costs of childcare.

Expat children in the UK also appear to have the least active lifestyle since relocating. Only 24% of parents say their children spend more time outdoors since their move and expat parents in the UK are also least likely to say their children play more sport or spend less time watching TV, ranking last (14th) on each of these measures.

However, despite these relatively poor scores, 84% of parents reported that their children are enjoying their life in the UK, scoring the country 8th out of 14 in terms of how much children enjoy their life in their new country. This may relate to the fact that the UK scores top for expat entertainment in Expat Explorer’s Expat Experience 2010 report, which suggested that children can take advantage of many attractions and excursions which will help them settle in and enjoy life in their new country.

Belgium tops this year’s charts as the best location to raise children, thanks to the highly regarded childcare system and standard of education. 81% of expats based here agreed they had seen an improved standard of education in comparison to their home country while 68% thought the quality of childcare had improved. However, Belgium-based expat parents also benefit from some of the cheapest childcare, with (65%) now paying less for childcare than in their home country.

The rest of mainland Europe was not far behind Belgium’s lead, with Spain (2nd) France (3rd) and Germany (5th) all featuring within the top five of the Offshore Offspring league table. In contrast, the USA and UK hold the bottom spaces in the league table, ranking 13th and 14th respectively.

Safety of children improves with relocation. Of course the children who relocate to Tenerife have it all, sun, sea, British TV  and Playstations!

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Opportunities to purchase properties at low prices in Tenerife and Spain

September 6, 2011 – 8:23 am

Property bargains available in Spain, Tenerife and the islands

During the last three decades, hundreds of thousands of Britons have purchased property in Spain. Nonetheless, a surplus of villas and apartments has spawned due to mortgage defaults from British buyers. By noting the declining property prices during the month of June, according to valuation and consulting firm Tinsa’s latest General IMIE (Spanish Property Market Index) report, one can see the opportunity to purchase Spanish property at a low price. This is why British investors are continuing to invest in the Spanish real estate market.

Along the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic and Canary Island archipelagos are amongst the most popular tourist and investment attractions in Spain. The Balearic Islands feature Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. With its Opera House, Mallorca offers a stately and elegant experience, while King Juan Carlos’ castle sits in Palma. Menorca offers a drier climate than the aforementioned Mallorca, in addition to cool breezes. Menorca has also garnered fame for its production of leather goods and gin. Ibiza has recently improved its reputation from years past, and Formentera offers an intimate and secluded getaway.

The Mediterranean Coast offers numerous overseas investment opportunities.

From the bright lights of Benidorm to the opulence of Moraira and the resorts towns of Javea and Denia, the Costa Blanca offers a smorgasbord of options. The Costa Blanca is serviced by Alicante airport, now supplemented by inexpensive flights to Valencia on the northern Costa. This enhances tourists and property buyers’ access to the Spanish region during the year. The Costa features the Mediterranean highway, which runs alongside the coast for virtually the entire length of the Costa Blanca, enabling easy travel.

Tenerife and the Canary islands, firm favourites over the years with the British has property available at prices not heard of during the last five years. Maybe this is the time to bag that bargain?

By Angela | Posted in Economy, General, Health, Holiday, Inspirational, Miscellaneous Articles, Property, Tenerife, Things to Do, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)