ITV1’s Bafta-nominated sitcom Benidorm is set to return to Britain’s TV screens for a third series.

Eight episodes of the show, which stars Johnny Vegas and Steve Pemberton, have been commissioned along with an hour-long special.

Peter Fincham, director of television at ITV, said he is “delighted” that the popular series will be coming back next year.

He commented: “Benidorm has a fantastic mix of warmth, charm, and fun.”

The sitcom, which was created by Derren Little, was recently credited with inspiring a surge of interest in holidays to the region.

According to LateRooms.com, the number of bookings for trips to Benidorm doubled throughout the duration of its second series earlier this year.

Kathy Gwinnett, spokesperson for the website, praised the resort for offering a number of different attractions for holidaymakers, including affordable hotels, good beaches and a very lively atmosphere.

Much of the TV series was filmed at the Hotel Sol Pelicanos-Ocas in Benidorm, while many scenes were also recorded at places such as Morgan’s Tavern.

Spain has been flagged up as a popular destination for retired expats by Propertyfinder.com.

According to the website, the European country has attracted thousands of foreign retirees during the last ten years.

This was partially attributed to the fact that it offers many lifestyle attractions to people from overseas, such as a warm climate and improved quality of life.

Propertyfinder.com added that financial considerations have also played a part, as retirees want to enjoy low living costs and make the most of their existing wealth.

Nicholas Leeming, director of the online portal, commented: “The average over-60-year-old homeowning couple has £265,000 of housing equity to unlock from their home.

“This kind of money can go a long way.”

He added that since house prices in Spain are currently falling, expats could possibly snap up a bargain property in the country.

According to the Institute of Public Policy Research, more than 3.3 million British pensioners are likely to be living abroad by 2050.

Spain has been named as the most popular holiday destination among Europeans by Mondial Assistance.

According to the organisation, 25.3 per cent of people flying within Europe for their summer breaks will visit the country.

Spain was found to be a particularly popular choice among British people, as 30 per cent of tourists from the UK are heading there for their holidays.

In addition, figures showed that it will attract more than one in three leisure travelers from Switzerland this summer.

However, the nation was also found to be especially popular with Spaniards, as 35.8 per cent of tourists from Spain are not planning to venture to foreign shores.

Instead, this group intends to remain within the country and enjoy attractions closer to home.

This comes after the Typically Spanish website cited official figures showing that more than 15 million people took a holiday in Spain between January and April 2008.

A British expatriate has spoken to the BBC about his move from the UK to Spain’s Costa Blanca region.

Eric and Viola Summers relocated to Torrevieja back in 1999 and believe their lives have improved considerably as a result.

Speaking to BBC News, Mr Summers said the Costa Blanca offers a much better quality of life, partly because it has excellent weather.

He added that the region also has many cultural attractions, such as concerts and shows, as well as good public services.

In particular, the local hospitals were described as “tremendous”.

Mr Summers also believes he is financially better off in Spain than in the UK, even though both countries have been affected by issues such as rising fuel prices.

He commented: “We’re still much better off than we would be in England.

“If we were living there we’d have to be on benefits.”

This comes after Saga Travel Money suggested that expats save money by purchasing locally-sourced goods rather than imported items from home.

People in England are increasing selling their homes and using the capital to buy abroad, it has been revealed.

The Emigration Group stated that falling house prices in the UK have directly contributed to the popularity of moving abroad in the last few months.

Speaking to the Cambridge News, company director Paul Arthur said this is because people want to make the most of the value of their home before it falls even further.

This trend was said to be highly apparent in southern and eastern England, for example counties such as Cambridgeshire and Essex.

Mr Arthur commented: “House prices have peaked and people with more equity realise they can get a different lifestyle abroad.”

According to the BuyAssociation website, Spain is currently one of the main hotspots among Britons who want a foreign property.

Property editor Paul Collins said this includes those who are looking to live abroad on a permanent basis.

Countries which attract holidaymakers all year round could be good places for overseas property investors to consider.

According to Holiday-Rentals, Spain is currently one of the most popular destinations among its clients.

This was said to be because the European country is consistently popular with tourists for 12 months of the year, which means it has strong rental potential.

Sarah Chambers, spokesperson for Holiday-Rentals, commented: “60 per cent of our clients own one or two foreign homes.

“They almost always rent them out for the whole year.”

Speaking to the Telegraph, she added that investors need to make clear that there are year-round attractions near their property when advertising it to potential tenants.

This comes after Holiday-Rentals revealed that 31 per cent of British-owned foreign properties in Europe are located in Spain.

The organisation said this is partially due to the number of cheap flights servicing areas such as the Costas.

Authorities in the Costa del Sol have outlined plans to integrate foreign nationals into the local community.

According to the Typically Spanish website, a new programme has been set up by Marbella Town Hall to improve community relations.

The resort in the Costa del Sol is currently a highly popular destination for expatriates from other countries.

However, local authorities believe that more could be done to bring them closer together with the existing population.

Tourism councillor Jose Luis Hernandez said the council is organising a series of summer activities designed to build relations between the various nationalities.

People from 136 different countries currently reside in Marbella on a permanent basis.

This comes after a study by the Andalucian Statistics Institute concluded that residents of Marbella are currently enjoying a very high quality of life.

Commenting on the study, Homes Worldwide said the findings are not very surprising, as its popularity with wealthy expats demonstrates its desirability.

Fuel prices in Spain are relatively low in comparison to other European countries, according to new figures.

Statistics from the Post Office show that unleaded petrol costs £1 a litre in Spain - 30 per cent less than in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In addition, the research revealed that a litre of diesel costs 94p a litre at Spanish petrol stations, making it 26 per cent cheaper than the UK.

This has prompted the Post Office to recommend that British people who plan to take a motoring holiday overseas consider visiting the country.

The organisation commented: “Spain emerges as the best value destination for UK holidaymakers in Europe.”

In addition, it stated that the cost of hiring a car is also much lower than in neighbouring European countries.

This comes after a study by American Express found that ten per cent of British families are considering going on a driving holiday in Europe this summer.

Delta Air Lines has begun flying on a new route linking Malaga with New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport.

The first non-stop flight of the four times a week service touched down at Malaga last week, where passengers were greeted by a high-profile reception committee.

Among the dignitaries welcoming travellers were regional tourism councillor Luciano Alonso, US consul Roberta Aaron and Delta’s vice-chairman Frank Jahagin.

Authorities in Andalusia have spent more than €3 million (£2.4 billion) on promoting the service, in the hope of attracting more US visitors to the region.

Local media reports stated that 70 per cent of seats have already been booked for the first month of the service, prompting Delta to indicate that daily flights are a possibility.

Delta recently announced plans to upgrade the in-flight entertainment facilities on its aircraft. Among the choices it hopes to make available to passengers on an on-demand basis are video games, hundreds of films, music and HBO television shows.

One in five Scots would consider moving abroad to escape the credit crisis in the UK, a new YouGov poll has revealed.

Commissioned by Legal & General, the survey shows that 19 per cent of Scots would consider moving abroad to escape rising living costs, reports the Scotsman.

Earlier this week it was reported that consumer prices were running at three per cent, well above the government’s target of two per cent.

Tim Warren, wealth communications director at L&G, told the paper: “In the current financial climate it’s prudent for people to tighten their belts.

“But it is still startling that so many Scots would be prepared to leave the country.”

It is possible that many Scots would consider moving to Spain, which already has a strong expatriate community.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the price of food, electricity and gas is responsible for pushing up inflation.