Ibiza Property Sale » Thomson Holidays

Spain Enjoys Spring 2007 Visitor Boost

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:45:38 +0000

Worried tourism bosses in Spain are winning the battle for European holidaymakers, with an impressive 5 per cent rise in visitor numbers for the first quarter of this year.
The country welcomed over ten million holiday makers in January, February and March – normally viewed as off peak months.
The highest number of visitors came from the United Kingdom, followed closely by Germany.
It was mainly due to the Germans that the numbers were up, as the number of British arrivals actually showed a slight drop, while more than 6 per cent extra visitors from Germany ensured a good start for 2007 for Spain.
The Canary Islands were the most popular part of Spain. Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura enjoy warm winters due to their geographical location near Africa, and have a strong appeal for Britons facing their winter.
The Costa del Sol, a perennial favourite of the British seeking a winter sunshine break enjoyed a boost in arrivals.
The Balearic Island also recorded a rise in visitors.
The Balearics consist of Menorca (the smallest island), Majorca and Ibiza. The small rise compared to the Canary Islands isn’t too much of a surprise as Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Parc, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.
Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come.
How the second quarter official figures go remains to be seen, but Spain could see a further drop in British arrivals compared to last year.
An unusually warm spell of weather for five weeks in April in the UK could mean that more Brits have booked summer holidays in their home country.
The warm weather, increased airport departure taxes, and environmentally aware travellers could shun an overseas holiday this year.
The new environment warnings of ‘carbon footprints’ is impacting the travel market, with news bulletins regularly reporting that taking a flight adds to global warming. If holidaymakers take heed Spain might also see a drop in visitors from Germany and Scandanavia.

Tourists Flock To Spain For 2007

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:42:10 +0000

Despite facing fresh challenges every year from new and old competitors to take away market share, Spain increased her number of visitors in the first couple of months of 2007 for what could be a good year for a country that has been the favourite destination for Europeans for nearly fifty years.
The visitor numbers were so good that it broke new records for Spain, with 4 per cent more holiday makers in January 2007 compared to 2007, and a total of 2.8 million tourists overall.
The most popular area of Spain was off the mainland, the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands consist of Tenerife, Fueteventura, Lanzarote and Gran Ganaria. The Canaries enjoy good weather in the winter months due to her geographical location near Africa, and Many British, Dutch and German tourists take villa and hotel holidays, often for a week, November to mid March.
The Costa del Sol, a perennial favourite of the British seeking a winter sunshne break surprisingly saw a near 5 per cent dip in UK visitor numbers, but overall enjoyed a near 6 per cent increase in tourists.
The Balearic Islands recorded a rise in visitors of just over 1 per cent.
The Balearics consist of Menorca (the smallest island), Majorca and Ibiza. The small rise compared to the Canary Islands isn’t too much of a surprise as Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.
Majorca is hoping to boost visitor numbers this summer by increasing the level of competition at the island’s SuperYacht Cup. As well as drawing extra tourists for the event itself it adds an extra attraction for those holidaymakers already on the island, adding to the possibility of a return visit in future years – and with more destinations to choose from in recent years repeat visitors has become an important strategy in tourist locations.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Park, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.
Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for the near future.

2007 Holiday Hot Spots

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:55:42 +0000

New competition from former Eastern Bloc countries have focused the minds of the tourist boards in traditionally favourite holiday destinations for Europeans in recent years – and it appears they could be doing a good job as many of the most chosen areas for this year are pretty much the same as ten and even twenty years ago.
The biggest winner this year among the holiday resorts seems to be Spain with six out of the top twenty destinations either being regions of the mainland like the Costa del Sol, or one of the Spanish Balearic or Canary islands, such as Ibiza and Tenerife.
Among city breaks Paris ranks highly, as it always does, while London has suffered with a high pound resulting in visitors from the US dropping this year – and a boredom factor setting in – with some Americans not visiting a second time as they feel they have ‘done it’ after seeing Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament. While some will venture as far afield as Windsor Castle, some twenty miles out of London, and some Oxford, few venture to other parts of England, preferring to catch the Eurostar to Paris with a two city trip.
Far flung destinations reaching the top twenty include Egypt and the Dominican Republic. Florida is in the doldrums for European visitors despite good value with the Euro and British Sterling both doing well against the US dollar. But getting in and out of America is becoming a real chore for many visitors now. If it isn’t bad enough queueing at Disney for the rides with children in tow, a long wait in line at immigration after a ten hour flight is not the best start to a holiday – and with EuroDisney a far easier option visitor numbers are unlikely to recover any time soon.
But it appears no matter what new destinations come up for holiday possibilities, Spain and her islands are resilient to the challenges, and when they are challenged aren’t afraid to advertise to past tourists to visit again, and for new ones to visit for the first time.
Mallorca as an island has been promoting itself to the UK market by including a team distributing information at London’s Victoria Station. Trains from Victoria run several times an hour to London’s Gatwick Airport, allowing easy access to Mallorca for Londoners.
The Balearic Islands of which Mallorca is part consist of three islands, as well as Malloca there is Menorca (the smallest island)and and Ibiza. Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.
As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.
Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.
Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Parc, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.
The cost of flying to Mallorca has come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the island’s core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from London’s Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.
Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come.

Majorca Real Estate Prices Could Drop 2007

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:30:10 +0000

Spain’s Majorca real estate has been popular for several decades now, with many Europeans who have holidayed on the Spanish island deciding to buy a second home for holidays, a business, or for retirement.
Prices have risen on the island as buyers – mainly British and German – have moved in, but there are mixed signals coming from the property and tourist sectors, which could see a freeze in Majorca property inflation, and possibly even a dip in prices in the near future.
Official figures for Majorca holidays this year indicate an increase in tourist numbers by between five and seven per cent. And it is from the pool of holidaymakers where property sales often happen a few months later, as some visitors like the island so much they decide to look into buying an apartment or villa, with some even retiring to the island, or buying a business.
With the increase in visitor numbers, property demand should in theory be good.
Cheap Majorca flights have been running for some years now, and even with increased air tax in the UK, Majorca is easily accessible from more than a dozen airports in the UK for property owners and tourists alike, with a flight time of under two hours, allowing a market for weekend homes for overseas property buyers.
Although one of the earliest package holiday destinations with tour companies, Majorca has had new competition in recent years from the former Soviet Bloc countries in Eastern Europe, that are now able to offer cheap holidays to the British market, and for the property market countries like Croatia and Bulgaria have been able to offer apartments and villas at a fraction of the price Majorca can offer.
In response, the island has fought back showing it’s not just the weather in Majorca that attracts property buyers, but a well established market with the infrastructure in place to protect overseas investors money.
Domestic Market
Any slow down or possible reversal of property prices could be welcomed by the local Majorca population.
They have seen the price of property in Majorca escalate, and many have been priced out of buying their own home.
This has led to some protests, with a demonstration against plans for more development in Majorca being held earlier in the year, with the belief that developers will destroy what is left of Majorca’s open spaces, and rendering the map of Majorca unrecognisable in years to come.
With encouraging tourist figures, Majorca hasn’t been resting on her laurels. This summer’s SuperCup yachting event has seen the appointed of an experenced race organiser, in an attempt to make the event more high profile.
Similarly, neighbouring island Menorca is hosting a Classic Yachts weekend, with entrants expected from across Europe, with the event boosting occupancy for Majorca hotels.
Of the three Balearic Islands, Ibiza comes top for spending per tourist according to official recent statistics, reaching nearly a hundred Euros a day per tourist, with Majorca second, and Menorca third.
Current prices for property in Majorca include brand new 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartments in Puerto Pollensa at 285,000 Euros, a country house with its own pool at 1,500,000 Euros, and a three bedroom three bathroom villa with its own pool at 900,000.