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.

The mayor of Costa Blanca has spoken out in favour of the popular holiday resort Benidorm.

Manuel Perez Fenoll described it as the perfect example of a sustainable resort, as buildings such as skyscrapers occupy less space than smaller structures, reports the Guardian.

He added that they also save on infrastructure, as fewer gas and water pipes are needed if they are only supplying a single building.

Mr Fenoll added that the resort does not deserve the negative image it has in some quarters, especially as it is becoming more and more eco-friendly.

He commented: “Some say the place has no green areas, but we are going to develop a big park and bring in a regulation saying every hotel must have a green area round it.”

The mayor was speaking after the recent death of Pedro Zaragoza Orts, the man who has been credited with creating Benidorm as it is today.

Benidorm was recently made the subject of a sitcom in the UK, which involved lots of location shooting.

Tourism professionals and members of the public alike will find the International Tourism Fair an “attractive option”, according to official tourism website for the city Comunitat Valenciana.

Representatives from the whole region will be on hand to distribute information on a number of areas of interest, including where to go and stay when in Valencia.

Indeed, people looking to invest in Valencian property may find that the Feria Valencia-based event gives them an insight into what the Spanish region can offer them.

Over the last three years, the event has reportedly proved popular with visitors. This is the fourth year that it has been held and people will be able to access the information stands from Friday April 4th until Sunday April 6th.

The portal states that travel agencies, tour operators, hotel establishments and campsites, as well as Spanish and international official tourism bodies, are all scheduled to be present at the event.

The show’s official website indicates that the occasion “is now recognised as one of the major trade events for the tourism industry in Spain”.

Motorists in Alicante province could soon be enjoying shorter journey times if proposals for a larger inland carriageway are given the go-ahead.

According to Typically Spanish, the infrastructure department at the Generalitat de Valencia has put forward a draft proposal for a new wider road to run inland from Vinalopo and ease congestion on the Alicante-Madrid motorway.

Under the road scheme, over 26 kilometres of the existing CV-83 road will be converted into a dual carriageway and a new connection with the neighbouring province of Murcia will be established.

Local officials in the towns close to the road, including Novelda, Monovar and Pinoso, are currently considering the proposals.

A second ring road around Alicante city was opened in December 2007 to improve access to the airport and other amenities on the Costa Blanca. The new road is divided into four toll sections and was constructed at a cost of €1 billion, Typically Spanish reported.

Fans of Asterix may like to head to Alicante this week, as the comic character’s latest film instalment is set to premiere in the Costa Blanca city.

According to Typically Spanish, Asterix at the Olympic Games will be shown for the first time at Alicante’s Teatro Principal on Tuesday, having been shot in several locations around Alicante.

Made at a cost of €78 million (£58.5 million), the film is said to be the most expensive movie production in European history and was mainly shot at the Ciudad de la Luz in Alicante, while nearby locations such as Santa Pola and Benidorm were also used.

Gerard Depardieu reprises his role as Asterix’s faithful companion Obelix, while Clovis Cornillac takes the title role. Veteran French actor Alain Delon also stars as Julius Caesar.

The film is adapted from the popular series of comic books by French artists Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. According to Time magazine, the new movie also features cameo appearances from Zinedine Zidane and Micahel Schumacher.

The Costa Blanca could soon be awash with northern Europeans popping over for a blast of winter sun, as the Alicante area was reported to have landed a winter heat-wave.

While British weather has kept to type, Spanish information site ThinkSpain.com claimed that the south eastern tip of the Iberian peninsula – typically one of the hottest – hit a high of 20 degrees C at the weekend.

Flying over to Alicante to enjoy the unexpected sunshine on local beaches is easier than ever for Brits, with low cost airlines providing direct flights from many UK cities – and plenty of ex-pats only using the flights in order to travel home occasionally.

The heat-wave is forecast to continue into next week, claimed ThinkSpain.com, meaning that those lucky enough to live in the Costa Blanca area or to be planning a Christmas break there could be making an unexpected trip to the beach.

The site claimed that beaches in Benidorm and elsewhere have been filled with hopeful sunbathers – many likely to have been British – and even some who decided on a risky winter dip in the sea.

Hotel occupancy rates on the Costa Blanca remain high well outside of peak summer holiday periods, while foreign property purchase in the region is growing ever more popular.