The British are starting to buy again in Spain

The hoped-for green shoots of the economy in the UK were showing their heads in Birmingham last weekend, when thousands of people turned out for the “A Place in the Sun” exhibition held at the NEC. International property shows in the UK had been in the doldrums over the past months and some of the organsisers had gone into bankruptcy owing to the overall downturn in property sales everywhere, but “A Place in the Sun”, backed by the TV_programme of the same name, made a strong come-back at the NEC. The exhibition was a smaller one than in previous editions but had been well publicised, and visitors came flooding through the doors.

This was especially good news for Spain, confirmed to be the favourite destination of potential property-buyers. No fewer than 60 per cent of visitors indicated an interest in Spain, with France coming in a poor second despite its familiarity and geographical proximity to British buyers. Unlike in previous years, there was no “French village” area at “A Place in the Sun”, and Spain’s main competitors were the USA and Australia and New Zealand, which were offering immigration packages.

Surveys of the public attending the show indicated that many buyers have been waiting for the right moment, and are now ready to make the move, as prices are unlikely to drop any further. Asked why they were looking at Spain, they mentioned, as one would expect, the climate, the friendly people, and enjoyable holidays in this area in the past. Buyers were also aware of the problems now facing investors who had opted in the past for destinations less well served by the airlines. While flights to many of these have been reduced or scrapped altogether during the credit crunch, Malaga airport continues to be served by numerous airlines with dozens of flights every day to the UK.