SPAIN is a magnet for tourists because it has lots of attractions all year round. Besides, its climate is temperate and is conducive for northern Europeans who have experienced icy storms even during summer. These Europeans do not want to go across the Atlantic to the United States or to another paradise, Dubai, in the Middle East because they’re both too far and they don’t want to go to tropical places such as Phuket either because their body cannot withstand the humidity there.
Ultimately, some of these tourists who are frequenting here every summer in such places as Palma de Mallorca off the Mediterranean coast in the Iberian Peninsula have purchased residences here and have decided to settle down here. Some of these expatriates have retired from their home countries as early as the age of 40 and so they have ultimately found Spanish spouses who are loving. The others who are mostly Scandinavian love to go about the nudist beaches in Spain because the atmosphere there is not too cold as compared to the beaches in the Netherlands.
Because of this reality, the Spanish government has made real estate policy in the country too lax for individual foreign ownership. There are no hassles, only yearly accountabilities such as the annual income tax and the monthly garbage collection tax which goes directly to the local government whose jurisdiction extends toward the subject property. For this, a few British expatriates have become entrepreneurial. They purchase half a dozen vacation homes and lease it to their compatriots. Because of that, the tourism and the real estate economies of Spain have even multiplied its earnings.
In New Year’s Day, it wil really be very nice if has bought a piece of land near the major beach resorts in the Andalucian region or any of the coasts in the Mediterranean. You will see the New Year fireworks reflected in the Mediterranean waters. You will also get to eat the Mediterranean diet, which basically consists of fresh Mediterranean seafood, lots of fruits like olives and vegetables and some sherry which is a staple drink here in Spain. In sauteing, Spanish people only use the healthiest cooking oil in the world which is olive oil. Also on New Year’s Day, the Roman Catholic majority in Spain go to church to attend mass because it is the feast of the motherhood of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, God the Son, on that day. It is a requirement for all Roman Catholics.
Because of the devoutness of the Roman Catholics here in Spain, we can see its manifestation highlighted every summer with feasts of saints here, there and everywhere including the Spanish territories Balearic and Canary Archipelagos. In Spain, one can also see a blend of other religions in the design of its churches especially in places such as Granada. The Alhambra, now a UNESCO heritage museum, is formerly a church with Gothic-inspired architecture that is converted into a mosque.
THAT’S simply a blushy assumption but that is true. Even tourism ministry officials in Spain are already unimpressed with that statement above because throughout half the millennium, Spain has been in the limelight. During the second to the last century, Spain has been a world wonder, conquering territories from as far as Asia to the whole Americas. But modern day Spain started its tourism rise during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. During this time, Mediterranean areas such as Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca and Benidorm were intensely developed. Real estate laws and policies were relaxed all over the country so that Dutch real estate investors could come in and pour their investments in beach resorts, like what now for example is happening with Buenos Aires real estate in Argentina. Cities such as Valencia were made into megacities and five-star hotels sprouted not just in the coast but towards the city center.
It’s not just the Mediterranean coastlines that were developed. When news of the Virgin Mary apparition erupted in Garabandal on the northern part of the country a decade later in the 1960s after Franco’s reign, the place became an instant tourist magnet. Tourists from Brazil to the Philippines, from Medjugorje to Moscow flock to Garabandal despite the intense heat there during summer. Granada converted the old Alhambra mosque to a museum to intensify its tourism. Salamanca was known for its beautiful architecture. Barcelona became known for its flamenco music as well as its bullfighting. Speaking of bullfighting, people living in the Meditteranean shores chase bulls toward the bay as another variant of bullfighting. Overseas and this is especially true in the 1990s, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Archipelago were developed too. Even in Spanish territories off the coast of Africa such as Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canary Archipelago were likewise developed to induce tourists there. The dormant El Teide volcano was converted into a national park.
Spain is as equally adoring during winter as well as during summer although understandably, there are fewer tourists by the beach resorts during winter because of extreme cold. So during this time, go to the Pyrenees for a change and enjoy a barrage of winter sports such as skiing and sled racing. But if sports are not your way of having fun, then gamble at the casinos there. Or better, enjoy your stay by acquiring the Spanish language. Just like the languages of the rest of the continent, the Spanish language has a Roman origin. That is why it is called a Romance language. When you enroll yourself in a Spanish language school, you better immerse with the locals and taste real Spanish food such as tapas and turron. For schooling in a Spanish language school doesn’t just mean schooling learning the language as is. You must also appreciate the culture of the place. Don’t worry, you will not be told by your host family to eat frogs’ legs or something although that can be exotic as well. For the Spanish are a friendly bunch.
