The main attraction of the Costa del Sol may be the coastline promised in its name, but many picturesque inland towns in the Malaga province are becoming popular with British property seekers, it has been claimed.

Andalusian news site Sur claimed that small inland towns like Antequera were becoming targets for overseas property seekers, with big influxes changing the complexion of the area.

It was claimed that the non-Spanish population of the town had grown from only 198 in 2001 to 2,300 in the present day, signalling a huge rise in foreign interest for a town with a total population not much over 40,000.

The new multicultural Antequera was said to boast as many as 61 different nationalities, reflecting the vibrant diversity of the Costa del Sol itself and its many foreign residents.

But while Brits are infamous for snapping up beach-side properties on the Costa, the inland spot saw only 247 UK property investors to date, with 740 Brazilians topping the foreign list and taking to Antequera in greatest number.

Latest estimates, however, claim that as many as 750,000 Brits are now resident in Spain, largely in the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca areas of the southern coast.

Tags: , Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spanish Property, tourism