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.

A British airport has revealed that demand for services to Spain has increased significantly in the last year.

According to Birmingham International Airport (BIA), passenger numbers on flights to Barcelona have gone up by more than 180 per cent.

Meanwhile, growth was also recorded on flights to places such as Murcia, Almeria, Alicante and Palma.

This has helped BIA achieve record passenger numbers in March 2008, with more than 730,000 passing through its two terminals.

The figure is 8.4 per cent more than the amount recorded a year earlier and comes after passenger numbers in February also reached record levels.

Peter Vella, business development director at BIA, commented: “It is the second straight month of record-breaking passenger figures, which is obviously great news as we strive to break the ten million passenger barrier this year.”

Spain’s popularity among tourists from the UK was recently highlighted by the Association of British Travel Agents, which described it as their “outright favourite”.

Overseas property investors could be set to benefit from new opportunities in Spain, it has been revealed.

According to a study by estate agency Engel & Volkers, Malaga is currently seeing high levels of investment by local authorities and developers, reports Homes Worldwide.

Money is being pumped into a number of projects across the region, including the creation of new facilities and buildings.

Furthermore, new jobs are also being created due to the recent influx of international businesses.

This has resulted in positive economic growth across Malaga and the Costa Sol, thereby enhancing its appeal to foreign property buyers.

Commenting on the state of the market, Engel & Volkers said it currently offers plenty of potential for property buyers.

This comes after Homes Worldwide stated that the Spanish Costas are currently benefiting from the so-called “Ryanair Effect”, which means that areas serviced by low-cost airlines tend to have relatively high rates of house price inflation.

British Airways (BA) has confirmed that it is to begin operating new flights between the UK and Spain.

The carrier will roll out services to places such as Alicante and Palma from Gatwick Airport ahead of this year’s peak summer holiday season.

Routes to other Spanish destinations including Ibiza and Malaga will also be added to its timetables.

Meanwhile, BA is also planning to add extra flights to Spain from other London-based airports.

Consumers will soon be able to travel on an extra route between Heathrow and Malaga, as well as flights from London City Airport to Barcelona.

The number of extra services reflects the continued interest in Spain and demand for convenient travel links with the country.

BA’s new services could directly contribute to an increase in visitor numbers to places such as Alicante and Malaga, thereby boosting their appeal to British property investors.

A Place in the Sun recently revealed that Spain is the number one location for buyers of foreign property from the UK.

More people are using Monarch Airlines’ scheduled services, new data from the carrier has revealed.

The services in question include flights to Spain and Gibraltar, which may alert potential property investors who are assessing their buying options in these areas.

High visitor numbers to a country often make it a more sought-after investment property location, as overseas buyers have more of a market to target.

Monarch Airlines stated that there was a 9.5 per cent increase in passenger numbers in March, compared to the same month in 2007.

This year’s March passengers figures of 281,994 were up 24,461 on March 2007’s figures of 257,533.

Both Monarch Airlines’ scheduled and charter services reportedly carried a combined total of 501,017 passengers during the course of March 2008.

Alicante, Malaga and Murcia are among the 11 Spanish destinations Monarch Airlines flies to from the UK.

One airline is interested in starting routes to Alicante, Malaga and other Spanish destinations from Norwich International Airport this year, according to the managing director of the East Anglian hub.

Richard Jenner told the Norwich Evening News that these services - known as sun routes - could be offered again in the coming months, following Flybe’s decision to cancel them last July.

More routes into Spain from the UK may alert property investors to the country as accessibility to a nation is traditionally an important consideration for people who buy bricks and mortar abroad.

Mr Jenner told the newspaper: “Since Flybe pulled off that route we have been talking to about ten airlines - most of them want to start from next summer but there is one interested in starting this year.”

He added that the airport hopes to announce further information within the next two weeks.

Earlier this week, budget airline easyJet started routes from Manchester Airport to Malaga, having set up a base at the north-west hub.

Accessibility to a country is one of the most important factors to consider when eyeing up a property purchase away from the UK.

This is according to the Telegraph, which reports that regional governments are always keen to attract budget airlines - such as easyJet, Monarch and Ryanair - to establish routes linking to their regions.

Destinations with more links to foreign countries can be attractive to investors as they know that there could be more of a market to tap into.

However, the newspaper does warn that investors need to be aware of the negative side of this - when carriers drop services unexpectedly.

It states that airlines can change their plans “with little warning”, which is something those people making an overseas property investment should be aware of.

One reason Spain has been popular for property investment is because there are frequent flights from a variety of airlines and airports across the UK.

The majority of British people continue to view Spain as their holiday destination of choice, a new report has stated.

With airport expansion and the availability of low-cost flights making the country more accessible and cheaper to get to all the time, Spain appears to have cemented its position as the top location for Brits to relax abroad, Homes Worldwide reports.

As Spanish property continues to hold British interest, the number of so-called mixed use investors attracted to the country appears to be rising, according to Ross Elder, managing director of Holiday Lettings.

He said: “Mixed use investors seek lifestyle improvements and spend time in their chosen location when they can - the rest of the time they rent their property out to holidaymakers.”

Speaking about the country’s general position in the overseas property market, Mr Elder also stated: “Spain is a prime example of the growth of low-cost carriers, easy access from the UK and confident tourists.”

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.