The Costa del Sol – Too British For The Brits?
Recent claims by an online travel agent suggest that British tourists are turning their backs on the Costa del Sol because it is too British. Spain is amongst five foreign destinations that the company says are a turn-off because of the presence of so many other Brits, although ex-pat business owners say that far from seeing a drop-off in trade, they are actually doing more business than ever. In addition, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) reports that Spain is still the European destination most visited by British tourists, with 10 million making it their choice in 2009 alone.
The Costa del Sol has, of course, long since been a tremendously popular holiday destination for British holidaymakers and also for those looking to buy property on the Costa del Sol. Ever since the 1960s when Torremolinos first became a firm favourite, the convenience of Malaga Airport and the low flight prices have encouraged millions of Brits to spend their holidays in the vast number of resorts that the region now has to offer. Inevitably, the preponderance of British tourists has encouraged many businesses to adapt their offerings in order to take into account British tastes and preferences, but actually as far as most visitors are concerned, this has never presented a problem.
Many people, when they are abroad, feel comforted by the sound of a familiar language or the ability to buy food and products which they recognise, but the real point here is that every visitor has a choice. You only have to travel a few kilometres inland from any of the popular resorts to find traditional Spanish villages which provide a great insight into local lifestyles and customs, or visit the older parts of the region’s towns to mix with the local people, and the same is true of any of the popular European holiday destinations. At the end of the day, it is not so much the destination that is key, but how the individual chooses to experience it.
Union Flag image courtesy of Adrian Clark on Flickr
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