Marbella has been chosen as the venue for a new international business conference.

The first Marbella-Costa del Sol International Economic and Business Forum will take place in the city early next year and it is anticipated the event will attract a wide range of high-ranking executives.

Organisers UHY Fay & Co, the accountancy firm, have indicated that those who attend the forum will have the chance to participate in discussion groups with leading economists, as well as listening to speeches from international business experts.

Joseph Fay, a partner and tax specialist with the firm, said that Marbella was the obvious choice to host the event.

He explained: “[Marbella] is an attractive and international city with influence to get media coverage and a very high potential to become an economic reference and knowledge hub at a national and international level.”

Among the other trade events the city is scheduled to host is International Golf Travel Market, which takes place between November 17th and 20th 2008.

A golf fan from Scotland has spoken highly of the facilities on offer in Spain’s Costa Blanca.

Alan White, from Port Seton in East Lothian, said lovers of the sport can enjoy the game on numerous courses in the region.

Speaking to Sunday Mail, he revealed that he likes it so much that he has chosen to purchase a property in the area.

Mr White told the newspaper that by dividing his time between the UK and Spain, he will be able to indulge his passion for the sport.

He commented: “It’s perfect for a golfer like me but it’s also great for all my family because we’re very close to some great shopping centres and restaurants.”

Mr White added that buying a holiday home in Costa Blanca is the “best move we’ve ever made”.

This comes after David Brice of Golf International told PGATour.com that a growing number of American golf fans are choosing to visit the Spanish Costas.

Ski resorts in Spain are becoming more popular with winter holidaymakers while maintaining their competitive prices, it has been claimed.

According to Homes Worldwide, Spain’s ski resorts were largely “ignored by anyone outside the country” until recently, but are now gaining a reputation as some of the best skiing locations in Europe.

In addition, resorts such as those in the Sierra Nevada have a unique selling point which other popular skiing destinations such as France and Switzerland cannot compete with - their proximity to the Costa del Sol means that holidaymakers can take to the slopes and then sunbathe on the beach a couple of hours later.

The website stated: “If you are thinking of investing in a Spanish property, perhaps its time to consider the slopes as well as the costas.”

Property owners may not have to make this choice, however, as the relatively short distance from the Sierra Nevada National Park to Costa del Sol locations such as Malaga and Velez-Malaga allows people to enjoy the best of both worlds - winter snow and summer sun.

Foreign buyers now account for one in seven properties sold in Malaga province, according to figures recently reported by southern Spanish newspaper Sur.

The strict gambling restrictions currently in place in Spain are to be relaxed over the next few months, it has emerged.

Regional governments in Madrid and northern Spain have already given the go-ahead for new betting shops, with authorities in other parts of the country - including southern areas such the Costa del Sol - expected to follow suit.

This means that sport-loving British expatriates living in Spain may soon be able to take a punt on their favourite team, although betting regulations will remain stricter than in the UK, the Independent reports.

Gamblers will only be able to place bets on sporting events, while a maximum wager of €500,000 (£371,000) will be enforced.

“No one is going to get rich but the fun will be in ‘pitting my opinion against yours’,” said Emma Mateos, marketing director at Spanish gaming company Victoria SA.

“It is simply an opportunity to live the emotion of the sport more intensely,” she added.

Football and basketball are the two most popular sports in Spain, although with the Costa del Sol the country also boasts one of the world’s premier locations for golfers.

Some of the best athletes in the world will descend on Valencia next month for the 12th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships.

The competition begins on March 7th and will last for three days, with international athletes competing in events such as the 60 metres, 1,500 metres, high jump, pole vault and shot put.

With the Olympic games taking place in Beijing later this year, athletes have an extra incentive to perform well at the Palau Velodromo Luis Puig and the event is sure to be a thrilling spectacle.

IAAF president Lamine Diack said that he expects the championships to be “an athletics fiesta for our sport to savour”, helped by the fact that Valencia is “very much a sports city”.

Valencia certainly has plenty to offer sports fans - it provided the home port for last year’s America’s Cup sailing competition and is set to do so again in 2009, while the first Formula One Grand Prix on the city streets will take place later this year. The Valencia football team is also one of the top sides in Spain and has been successful in Europe.