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.

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.

Holidaymakers are increasingly booking their trips to Spain on the internet, new research has found.

According to Google Spain’s travel division, 31 per cent of all holidays in the country during the year to date have been booked online.

Javier Gonzalez-Soria, head of the organisation, said this figure is expected to increase over the next few years as more people embrace the internet as a means of purchasing goods and services.

He said the growth of the web has “radically changed” the behaviour of travel consumers in the last decade.

This was largely attributed to the fact that leading tourist destinations such as Spain have taken full advantage of the opportunities this medium has to offer.

For example, the country was praised for using online advertising and making itself visible on search engines.

This comes after online travel agency Freedom Direct revealed that the strong euro has not impacted on the number of bookings for Spain.

Many holidaymakers in Scotland are choosing to take breaks in traditional Spanish hotspots, it has been revealed.

Rick Green, chief executive of Flyglobespan, stated that flight sales from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen have gone up this year.

Speaking to the Daily Record, he said services to established European resorts such as Alicante are proving to be especially popular with consumers.

This suggests that people in Scotland are not being put off Spain by the fact that the pound is now at an all-time low against the euro.

Mr Green commented: “Although we are seeing strong demand for our non-Euro routes, our traditional European summer holiday destinations are still the most popular.”

He added that there has actually been an upturn in demand for flights to resorts including Alicante.

This area was recently flagged up by the Guardian as a good location for holidaymakers from the UK.

According to the newspaper, Alicante is a “real” city that offers a more authentic Spanish experience than some tourist hotspots.

Consumers in Scotland are not allowing the global economic downturn to put them off their holidays, it has been revealed.

According to the Daily Record, holiday firm Barrhead Travel has seen an eight per cent increase in the number of bookings this year.

Bill Munro, spokesperson for Barrhead Travel, said that established European destinations have been especially popular, even though the pound is currently much weaker than the euro.

He commented: “Some are shying away from Euroland and going to countries based on price, but many know that for quality Spain is still number one.”

Speaking to the newspaper, Mr Munro added that Spain is still cheaper than the UK “by far”.

This backs up recent comments from the Post Office, which said Spain is currently the cheapest country in the eurozone.

Interest in the top end of the Costa del Sol’s housing market is still very high, according to an expert.

Barbara Wood from The Property Finders said that affluent property buyers are still keen to snap up a residence in the region.

Speaking to the Times, she revealed that houses that are valued at about £624,000 or above are in high demand because they are in short supply.

This means that the slump which has hit many cheaper houses in the Costa del Sol is not affecting the market as a whole.

Ms Wood commented: “Every client I’ve had this year has had little need for finance.

“They have been watching the market and they are deciding it’s time to start looking in earnest.”

She added that while investors will not get “vast sums” knocked off the asking price of a property, they will not have to compromise on any other requirements.

This, she said, would be “crucial” for top-end buyers.

The Telegraph recently described the Costa del Sol as a “hugely popular location” for British property buyers.