British Love Affair with Marbella Continues post-Brexit

In the wake of the Brexit referendum in June there were many who feared that the longstanding British love affair with the Costa del Sol would come to a sudden end. The pound weakened against the euro in the wake of the surprise result, and this might very well have discouraged many Brits to stop visiting Marbella, but the contrary is true as tourist numbers from the UK continue to soar this summer. In July bookings at Spanish hotels by British tourists were up 15%, and this trend continued throughout the summer, which will go down in Marbella history as the busiest ever. The picture was mirrored in other parts of Spain too, where British holidaymakers accounted for over a quarter of all hotel reservations. This helped to push average hotel occupation on the Costa del Sol to almost 80% in July, well past that figure in August, and even in September the region’s hotels and resorts are expected to be three-quarters full. It’s a picture that has been consistent throughout the year so far, with the first quarter of 2016 13% up on the same period of 2015, so it is fair to say that Marbella, the Costa del Sol and Spain as a whole will post yet another record year for tourism in 2016. The current tourist boom is not exclusive to the British. Tourist visits from France were up 8.8%, from Germany 4.1% and Holland 3.8%, with large numbers of holidaymakers from Scandinavia, Russia, the Middle East and Spain itself adding significantly to the total. British retain their focus on Marbella It is fair to say, therefore, that the love for Marbella remains as strong as ever, and this is particularly noticeable among British visitors, who in spite of the weaker pound continue to flock to this region in large numbers. In actual fact, they outpace most other Europeans in growth terms this summer, and continue to be the largest single group of homeowners and property buyers in Marbella. Moreover, the average amount that British tourists and homeowners spend while in these parts has remained stable. “It seems clear that the British love affair with Marbella’s lifestyle is far from over,” says Michael Liggan, owner of Altavista Property. “This also translates to the property sector, where British buyers continue to represent one of the main markets for luxury apartments and villas for sale in Marbella – and for the time being there are no signs that this may change any time soon.”