Five times Spain bested the competition

Spain’s ability to attract all types of holidaymakers, tourists and homebuyers is well known. The country’s variety of attractions ranges from the historic to the contemporary, the man-made to the naturally beautiful, and the populist to the off-the-beaten track gems that only a few people know about.

This summer has served as a perfect reminder just why Spain turns so many heads, and here are five ways that the country has pounded the competition so far in 2015…

1. Life’s a beach

Data published last week by comparison website TravelSupermarket found that four out of the top five most-searched for holiday destinations among the site’s 3.5 million users are for locations in Spain.

Mallorca claimed top-spot with 4.8 per cent of all searches in June, with Tenerife in second place (4.3 per cent), Ibiza fourth (3.2 per cent) and Lanzarote fifth (2.5 per cent). Only Portugal’s Algarve could break Spain’s stranglehold on the top five, with Benidorm, Gran Canaria and Marbella all featuring in the top 15.

2. Hot, hot, hot

A summer holiday needs to tick a few standard boxes: it needs to be fun, affordable and relaxing, but most of all – for most Brits anyway – it has to be hot. Spain has always guaranteed good weather pretty much all year round, but so far this year the country has outdone itself.

Three separate heatwaves have wafted across the country in the past six weeks, with the mercury topping 40ºC in most regions at some point in July. While that may be too hot for some, it’s indicative of Spain’s reliability when it comes to summer – if you want guaranteed fun, there is nowhere better to go.

3. Home from home

Not only is Spain the most mature second-home market in Europe – offering would-be expats plenty of choice in terms of property type, employment, schooling and socialising opportunities – but it is currently the most attractive, too.

Property prices in many parts of the Costa del Sol are some 40 per cent below 2007-levels, and with prices beginning to rise slowly in many of these regions, a home in Spain represents a safe, attractive and affordable investment, whether you are looking for a beachfront apartment, secluded townhouse or stylish villa.

4. Safe and sound

The devastating terrorist attack on a Tunisian beach in June shocked the world, and left 30 Brits dead after a gunman ran amok, picking off sunbathers as they lounged on the sand or frolicked in the surf. Over in Turkey, the proximity of ISIS – currently causing chaos in neighbouring Syria and Iraq – has left the formerly popular resorts along the Aegean Coast counting the cost of dwindling tourist numbers, while Greece’s economic turmoil and Egypt’s sporadic terrorist attacks have served to underline just how insecure some parts of the Mediterranean are.

Not so Spain. Despite all of Europe being a potential target, Spain’s resorts, cities and beaches are probably the safest in Europe right now – a fact that has not gone unnoticed by millions of sun-seekers who have rediscovered an old favourite or two this year.

5. Healthy GDP

Five years ago, Spain’s economy was on life support. The country was the poor man of the continent, with thousands of Spaniards leaving in their droves to seek work in more prosperous and stable northern European countries.

Today, however, the picture is very different. Although unemployment remains high, it has just sunk to its lowest level for four years, with the economy on course to grow by 3.3 per cent this year, making Spain one of the healthiest economies in Europe.