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Property in Spain boosted by tourism - 21 April 2009

An unexpected rise in tourist numbers over the Easter period is expected to help bring some cheer to the beleaguered property market on Spain’s Costa del Sol, a property investment specialist has suggested.

Commenting on figures from the Costa del Sol Tourist Board which show that hotel occupancy over Easter reached around 75 per cent, Obelisk Investment Property said they expect to see “high tourist figures this summer.”

The statistics put hotel occupancy eight percentage points higher than at the same time last year, and show that despite the credit crunch and deepening recession in the UK, holidaymakers are still keen to travel. As well as the desire to get to somewhere warm following a cold and miserable winter, it shows that British tourists are still prepared to spend on travel, but perhaps only when they feel they are getting a bargain deal.

James Gonzalez, market analyst at Obelisk, said, “The latest figures are excellent news and prove that tourism on the Costa del Sol is enjoying excellent health.” While tourist numbers have risen, the property market is still suffering badly in the global recession, but a rise in tourist numbers is good news for both owners looking to rent out their properties in Spain and for agents looking for possible buyers who come for the sun and lifestyle.

Elsewhere in Spain, there has been a significant court victory for Len and Helen Prior in their battle against the demolition of their property in Almeria. The couple became famous as the first people to lose their home to the rigid implementation of laws governing planning permission and coastal building, and have been living in their garage ever since their villa was bulldozed in January 2008.

They built the property in Vera with the full consent of the local planning authorities, but the regional planners said the permission was invalid and ordered the property to be pulled down. Now, the Spanish Supreme court has ruled that the demolition order for the property obtained by the regional planning authority was itself invalid as the proper procedures had not been followed. The order was imposed and carried out without allowing the Priors any opportunity to appeal their case in the courts.

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