Tag Archives: Spanish
The Spanish Prefer to Spend Easter in Their Own Country
Madrid, Spain (PRWEB) March 23, 2008
A study carried out by Vuelos Baratos, the most visited independent flight comparison site in Spain in 2007, revealed that the overwhelming majority of Spanish Internet users prefer to spend their Easter holidays in their own country. The analysis of thousands of flight queries conducted on the Vuelos Baratos portal shows that of the top 20 most popular destinations for this Easter, 15 are in Spain. Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Palma, Malaga and Valencia are the most popular Spanish destinations. In fact, Barcelona and Madrid on their own made up almost 20 percent of all the searches conducted by Spanish visitors to the site looking to make reservations for the Easter holidays.
Outside of Spain, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Lisbon and Brussels proved to be the most popular European destinations for Spanish Internet users. For the slightly more adventurous, wishing to travel outside of Spain and Europe, Morocco proved to be the single most popular destination. Combined flight searches to Marrakech, Casablanca and Tangiers made up almost a quarter (24 percent) of all the searches carried out to locations beyond Europe and Spain. The most popular long-haul flight searches for Easter were for New York and Cuba.
The most popular dates among Spanish internet users for travelling this Easter are between the 20th and 23rd of March. Slightly more than 20 percent of the people who carried out flight searches on the Vuelos Baratos portal chose to leave and return on these dates. Only 7 percent of those looking for flights on Vuelos Baratos appear to be fortunate enough to have the full nine days holiday that the majority of users can only dream about and searched for flights between the 15th and 23rd of March. Naturally, it is this last group that look to travel the farthest — 53 percent of them searched for routes outside of Spain and more than 20 percent searched for destinations outside of Europe. Among the other group, who have only four days holiday, more than 60 percent decided to take full advantage of their holidays by keeping travel time to a minimum and chose to fly to Spanish destinations. Only 4 percent of them searched for flights outside of Europe.
Depending on their point of departure, the Spanish demonstrate very different travel preferences when it comes to choosing a location to spend their Easter holidays. People from Madrid seem to want to welcome Spring by escaping their land-locked city and making for coastal areas; Barcelona, Palma, Malaga, the Canary Islands and Ibiza are the most searched destinations among queries originating from Madrid. On the other hand people from Barcelona, who can enjoy the benefits of living by the sea all year round, demonstrate a tendency to choose locations away from the coast — Madrid, Seville, Granada and Amsterdam are among their destinations of choice. People from Seville also appear to want to take advantage of the benefits of the sea at Easter and focus their searches on Barcelona, Valencia, Palma, Las Palmas and Corunna. People from Valencia, whose annual “Fallas” (Firework) festival will attract thousands of extra visitors as it falls at Easter this year for the first time since the 1800s, are heading for Amsterdam, Paris and London. The Basques, Galicians and people from Asturias appear keen to sample the delights of Spain and the majority of their travel searches were for Valencia, Madrid and Barcelona.
About VuelosBaratos
VuelosBaratos is a leading flight comparison engine operating in the Spanish Market since 2004.
According to recent figures from Nielsen Ratings VuelosBaratos was the most visited independent flight comparison engine in Spain in the year 2007.
VuelosBaratos is currently available in Spanish, English, Catalan, Basque, Portuguese and Italian
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University of New England Signs Agreements With Two Spanish Universities
Biddeford and Portland, Maine (PRWEB) April 24, 2012
University of New England’s (UNE) agreement with the University Pablo de Olavide may be the first U.S. semester abroad program to establish lab-based science courses in English in a non-English speaking country. It will allow UNE students to take lab-based courses in organic chemistry, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology developed to meet the academic standards of UNE’s biology, pre-health professions and undergraduate health professions programs.
While in Seville students will also have the opportunity to take UNE-approved courses in history, psychology, business, marketing, economics, political science and sociology all offered in English. Most of these courses will have a focus on either the Spanish or global aspects of the academic discipline.
Students will also be required to take an intensive Spanish language course that will begin two weeks prior to the semester and continue throughout the term.
“Spain is a gateway to all of Europe because of the ease of travel and low-cost flights,” said Anouar Majid, UNE associate provost for global initiatives. He noted that UNE students who have studied in Seville have spent weekends visiting most of the major cities of Europe as well as Morocco.
The University Pablo de Olavide agreement was signed April 20, 2012 by UNE President Dr. Danielle Ripich and UPO President Dr. Juan Jim
FlamencoTalk Brings Stars of Spanish Flamenco to Louisville in a Celebration of Gypsy Spirit
Louisville, KY (PRWEB) November 11, 2008
FlamencoTalk unveils a stellar lineup of artists for its new flamenco production “De La Raiz” scheduled to take center stage at the Clifton Center on Friday, February 6, 2009, 8 p.m.
A cultural immersion into the art of flamenco, De la Raiz, or “From the Roots”, will explore roots and traditions of this Andalusian gypsy art through a week-long series of educational workshops and a world-class sizzling performance featuring artists from Jerez de la Frontera, Granada, and Barcelona. Internationally acclaimed flamenco stars Antonio Granjero, Jos
Daily Spanish Phrases Offers Revolutionary Way for Students to Learn Conversational Spanish Online
Marbella, Malaga, Spain (PRWEB) April 6, 2008
It is no longer necessary to purchase books and video software to learn Spanish from home. Daily Spanish Phrases offers students four levels of ability: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Fluent level conversational Spanish. Within a few months, through interactive e-mail lessons, the student will gain the practice and confidence needed to speak Spanish.
“We are proud to use the latest Internet technology to bring the most efficient Spanish learning system to our students,” said Claudia Villarreal, project manager for Daily Spanish Phrases. “Unlike other programs that have a more academic focus, we hone in on the practical use of the language, so students may learn and actually speak basic to advanced conversational Spanish as quickly and easily as possible. Nowhere on the Internet will they get so much value for money.”
Once a student subscribes to the site, Spanish language lessons arrive daily, every two days or once a week into the student’s inbox. For those students wishing an intensive Spanish course there’s also an accelerated learning option, allowing the student to take as many lessons in one day. Each lesson provides 15 English to Spanish translated phrases with audio, 2 conjugated verbs with audio, grammar tips, an easy exercise and a fun game, so the student will immediately be able to participate in Spanish conversations using practical, everyday vocabulary and expressions.
With 40 lessons per level, covering topics from meeting people to weather to banking to travel, the Daily Spanish Phrases program prepares the student for real-world application of the languagea real must in today’s demanding workplace. The lessons also make traveling to Spanish-speaking countries a breeze.
Special features of the language learning system include the flexibility of studying at one’s own pace while being able to pause the lesson or take a short or extended break from lessons at any time. All lessons are retrievable for an unlimited amount of time through the student’s personal Daily Spanish Phrases online account, so lessons can be reviewed and studied at any time, from home, the office, the library, or anywhere there’s an Internet connection. The lessons are also printer-friendly so creating a Spanish phrases book is easy.
For more information about Daily Spanish Phrases and to try a free sample Spanish lesson, visit http://www.DailySpanishPhrases.com.
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SantaFe.com “Featured Business” Spanish Colonial Arts Society Holds Symposium Celebrating the Civilian Conversation Corps April 21
Santa Fe, NM (PRWEB) April 19, 2012
The Symposium: Celebrating the CCC takes place from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, April 21, at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, a SantaFe.com “Featured Business.” The symposium features scholars, conservators and curators discussing the role of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in preserving and reviving the traditional arts in New Mexico, and is a program of the exhibition New Deal Art: CCC Furniture and Tinwork.
Symposium participants are:
Tey Marianna Nunn, PhD, Director of Visual Arts, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, author of Sin Nombre: Hispana and Hispano Artists of the New Deal Era
Bettina Raphael, Conservator, author of Conservation Survey of Tinware at Bandelier National Monument
William Wroth, PhD, Independent curator, Santa Fe, author of Russell Lee’s FSA Photographs of Chamisal and Pe
Spanish Property Market: New Study Reveals Most Popular Locations with Overseas Buyers
London, UK (PRWEB) September 19, 2008
Independent overseas property business portal, Globaledge has released the results of an in-depth study into the most searched for Spanish property destinations by internet users outside Spain.
The Globaledge Search Index collects data from over 13,000 unique Spanish property search phrases on the Google’s Keyword tool and aggregates the information by location to create a list of the most popular destinations for foreign buyers. Google only began releasing this information in July this year and it’s the most comprehensive study to be performed to date on international demand for property in Spain.
Tenerife on Top as the Islands Beat the Costas
According to Ashley Rigg, Managing Director of globaledge.co.uk, the island destination of Tenerife ranked top when it came to property searches, with 53,805 property related searches taking place on Google in July 2008.
“Globaledge’s findings show that during July 2008, Tenerife was the most popular Spanish destination for foreigners searching online to buy property in Spain. It accounts for a remarkable 15.3% of all searches in the top 20. What’s more, the Canary Island is twice as popular as the Costa Blanca and more than three times as popular as the Costa del Sol. It proves overseas buyers are increasingly looking beyond the traditional coastal resorts of old.”
Tenerife is not the only island to make the list. Mallorca is the next most popular destination with international buyers with 24,215 searches or 6.9% of the total in July. With both Tenerife and Mallorca ranking above the popular Costas, Rigg thinks this could be the result of past mistakes:
“The seeming decrease in the popularity of the Costas could be due to a long-term effect of poor planning regulations and over-supply pushing buyers to more picturesque destinations, an important note for real estate agents and developers to consider.”
Interestingly, and more specifically, the Tenerife resort of Los Cristianos also made the top 20 of its own accord, ranking in 13th place with 4,112 searches, ahead of both Alicante and the Costa Brava.
Island Under-Supply?
Globaledge also examined the competition on Google Adwords for popular property phrases in each of the top 20 locations. Interestingly, their findings suggest that Tenerife and Mallorca are not only more popular than the big coastal resorts, but they are also less crowded by agents and developers trying to sell property there. Rigg says “The findings suggest that there is either an under supply of agents and property serving the islands or that agents in these areas are not prolific users of Google Adwords. Either way it looks like a less saturated market than many other parts of Spain. It represents a good commercial opportunity for both national and international agents willing to spend the time finding collaborative partners on the islands”.
Editor’s Notes
The full story can be viewed here http://www.globaledge.co.uk/news/details/spanish-property-market:-top-20-overseas-buying-destinations/25835
For full methodology on our analysis of search volumes view the Globaledge Search Index at
http://www.globaledge.co.uk/news/analysis/details/globaledge-search-index/25862
Top 20 Overseas Property Search Locations for Spain
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Spanish Property Law Decreto 218/2005 in Andalucia Set to Shake Up the Property Market
Marbella, Spain (PRWEB) December 9, 2008
In order to protect the rights of their property buyers and vendors on the Costa del Sol, real estate company and Spanish Property specialists La Costa Property Solutions recently announced their intent to fully comply with the new law for real estate agents and developers selling or renting properties on the Costa del Sol.
“It’s important to note that if people buy or rent directly with property owners, they are not protected by the Decreto. This is why it is better to use a real estate agency that is compliant with Decreto 218″ says Justin Thompson of La Costa.
The Decreto 218/2005 is a law that has been in existence for over 2 years and the Junta de Andalucia is now enforcing it strongly, sending inspectors to make sure agents and developers are complying with the law and handing out fines if this is not the case.
All agencies must have a Decreto 218 Compliance notice on display in their office and failure to comply with this can result in fines ranging from up to 5,000 for minor offences to 400,000 for more serious offences.
“The cost to a small agency like ours to implement the Decreto guidelines is extremely high both in time and effort, but we believe it is the only way forward. We strongly feel that initiatives and laws such as this can only help to improve people’s perceptions about buying property in Marbella and the Costa del Sol and will ultimately help to diffuse some of the negative press the area has experienced over the past couple of years” says Maximo Alvarez, MD Of La Costa
La Costa Property Solutions are an established and experienced full services real estate company based in El Rosario, Marbella and specialize in property sales, holiday rentals, property management and long term rentals on the Costa del Sol.
For more information about the La Costa services, please visit La Costa Property Solutions
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Reduce Prices, Spanish Housing Minister Tells Real Estate Agents
Marbella, Spain (PRWEB) January 29, 2009
As the world teeters on economic recession, the Spanish housing minister has called on the Spanish real estate sector to be “logical” and cut down on their prices to encourage buyers and save the market from a virtual standoff.
Beatriz Corredor, Minister of Housing, also assailed the private sector’s continued appeal to the government for assistance during the property crisis, and instead asked them to take concrete steps to salvage their untouched portfolio.
Guy Marrison of Marrison Properties, a Marbella Real Estate Agent, for his part, agrees.
“The minister was rightly stating that average incomes in Spain at present do not correlate to average house prices,” he says. “Property prices in Spain are approximately 7 times the average annual earnings; historically this number has always been around 4 times average earnings.”
Marrison further explains that property prices need to fall considerably in Spain to make real estate more affordable again and subsequently stimulate the demand that will in turn stabilise property prices. He cites that price reduction should benefit both the buyers and the sellers, as buyers can expect properties at reasonable prices, while sellers will also be able to re-acquire at lower prices.
“The picture in Marbella real estate is somewhat different though,” Marrison says, as “home owners in Marbella are among the wealthiest in Europe, if not the world. Therefore, property prices are not expected to fall as much as in the rest of Spain.”
Marbella, of course, is well-known for being a favorite destination of wealthy tourists from Northern Europe, along with those from the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Both Antonio Banderas and Simon Cowell are notable current residents alongside many European blue bloods.
A Marbella town hall corruption scandal in April of 2006 suspended many developments and reduced the supply of new properties, according to Marrison and “Spanish banks are now effectively the largest developers in Spain due to a huge number of loan defaults by developers large and small Developers are not offering the best prices, banks and distressed sellers are.”
Marrison Properties makes use of its vast knowledge and experience in the Marbella real estate market to help parties who either need to buy, sell, rent, or manage a property in Marbella and around the Costa del Sol area. It strives to remain up-to-date with the dynamic and volatile property market to provide the best advice and assistance to its clients. Be it villas, apartments, townhouses, flats, penthouses, visit Marrison Properties online at http://www.marrisonproperties.com to find out more.
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Living it up in Marbella – Five Reasons Why the Sun Never Sets on This Spanish Classic
Article by Sandy Lee
When you’re looking for a Spanish destination that has it all, Marbella is fast becoming the place to be for tourists, travelers and people wanting to buy Marbella property. A beautiful coastal district with Mediterranean climates and landscape, the resort was once a small fishing village full of white houses sitting on the coast of the Costa del Sol. That village is now a thriving, historic, environment with beautiful boulevards, 24km of beaches, and a cosmopolitan edge. Its yacht harbors attract the rich and famous, and ease of access with local airports and excellent roads attract all kinds of tourists from all over the world, making it an exciting, safe and unique town. Lets look at five reasons why it is the place to live and why people are buying Marbella property in this ideal town.
Cheap flights leave from all over the UK
Many people agree that Marbella is in the ideal location. With an airport nearby in Malaga ‘Pablo Ru
Spanish Property Investment – Obelisk Shows its Hand
Marbella, Spain (PRWEB) May 17, 2009
Obelisk Investment Property’s Market Analyst, James Gonzalez, is sticking his neck out and predicting that those who invest in the Spanish property market now, particularly the Costa del Sol, could be reaping rich rewards by 2010.
James says that a number of positive indicators over the last few months have convinced Obelisk that the market is on the road to recovery. “Until recently, prices were, on the whole, heavily inflated with oversupply in some areas,” explains James, “and it just didn’t offer the right kind of investment potential to feature on the radar.” But now, putting his cards on the table, James forecasts a 2.5% to 3% growth on 2009 prices for Costa del Sol property next year.
So what has changed on the Costa del Sol and why is Obelisk’s Market Analyst prepared to make this bold prediction when other property experts aren’t? Based in Marbella, southern Spain, Obelisk has its ear to the ground and its in-house research allows James to make this exciting forecast.
Part of the reasoning behind the predicted 2.5% growth comes from the logistics of property cycles. The newly awakened interest in Spanish property on the Costa del Sol means that oversupply will be consumed and availability reduced. Add to this the fact that new construction is virtually at a standstill with no major projects planned for the near future, the Costa del Sol property market will clearly bottom out this year and next year herald the start of an upward cycle.
Obelisk believes next year’s property growth will come from a combination of the kind of constants offered by few other locations and some subtle changes. Put together, these constants and changes make the Costa del Sol one of the best medium to long-term investment and lifestyle options available at the moment.
“Let’s start with the constants,” says James. “Spain is the world’s second largest tourist destination with the Costa del Sol a firm favourite. It’s been that way for some time and that really hasn’t changed, even in the face of global economic downturn. On the contrary, record tourism figures were recorded over the Easter period on the Costa del Sol.”
Spain’s high tourism profile alone is pretty significant but when you add extensive transport infrastructure investment to that, it all adds up to the kind of potential that would get any other property market well and truly noticed. In common with most other European countries, the Costa del Sol market has undoubtedly suffered a downturn, but it’s starting to stand out from the crowd again for both investors and lifestyle buyers.
Prices are now at an affordable level for the first time in five years. “You have to look carefully, but you can get some pretty impressive bargains on the Costa del Sol at the moment,” says James.
James warns against buying so-called ‘repos’ (repossessions) or ‘distressed properties’ in Spain. “They can mean months of paperwork and costs and what starts as a ‘bargain’ turns out not to be one after all.” He advises that one of the best sources of cheap property in Spain is buying directly from the developer, although this too should be approached with caution. In the past, some people have had their fingers burned with Spanish property and found they had bought properties without the correct licences in place. For example, only properties with a First Occupation Licence can be purchased with a mortgage, can be connected to mains utilities and are ready to move into. The key is to buy from a reputable developer in a small finished development and ensure that the First Occupation Licence is in place.
So, what does Obelisk recommend you buy to make the most of this fantastic lifestyle investment opportunity? “Look for the trio of high quality property, excellent value and peace of mind,” says James. “The usual location chestnut is not quite so important since most areas around Marbella fulfil your location criteria anyway.” With this in mind, Obelisk has cherry-picked a selection of new developments, all of which offer the very best when it comes to quality, value and due diligence (all have their First Occupation Licence and are ready to move into). Breathtaking views – a Costa del Sol hallmark – are a given in all the developments as are extras such as free lifetime use of a golf course or luxury furnishings. Mortgages of up to 70% or 80% are readily available for properties on all developments.
Buyers are realising that if they can find the right property at the right price, with the all the legalities in place, Spain and particularly the Costa del Sol, is worth looking at once more, with buoyant tourism leading the property market recovery. James says that just a year ago, he wouldn’t have expected to be predicting such fantastic news for the Spanish property market, but Obelisk’s research is showing consistent evidence that buying a discounted Spanish property now could be the best decision you ever made.
For more information on overseas property investment and to find out about Obelisk’s latest projects, contact Obelisk free on 0808 160 0670 (UK) or 1800 932 514 (IRE). International calls: 0034 952 820 319.
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