The local authority in Torrevieja is offering more free Spanish lessons following a “stupendous response” to its original courses, it has emerged.

According to Costa Blanca newspaper Round Town News, the Torrevieja council’s basic language course has been a huge success since it launched two years ago, with demand for Spanish instruction in the area growing steadily as the population becomes more diverse.

Now the council has developed a new series of lessons, led by experienced language teacher Jane Cronin, which offers a slightly higher level for expatriates who have graduated from the original Survival Spanish course.

“The course combines visual elements, using pictures to stimulate the memory and audio components, allowing students to hear the correct pronunciation and intonation applied by native speakers,” the news provider reports.

Designed to help foreign nationals engage with the language and culture of the Costa Blanca, the course takes place at Torrevieja’s Palacio de la Musica and has attracted interest from a wide range of nationalities, including British, Irish, German, Moroccan and Indian.

Torrevieja is one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Alicante province, according to recent figures, with 53.6 per cent of the city’s residents of non-Spanish nationality.

New passenger statistics have revealed that Alicante’s El Altet Airport saw significant growth during 2007 and is developing into one of Spain’s busiest destinations.

Official data shows that overall passenger levels increased by three per cent at El Altet last year, with the Costa Blanca hub now ranked as the sixth most important airport in the whole of Spain.

According to Costa Blanca News, the expansion of low-cost airlines such as Ryanair has given the airport a significant boost in the last few years, with the Irish carrier recently making Alicante one of its main flight bases.

In addition, the enduring popularity of Costa Blanca resorts among European holidaymakers continues to fuel demand for flights to Alicante, with the airport serving over one million passengers during the peak holiday month of August last year.

Airport officials have predicted that El Altet will continue to go from strength to strength this year, with plans for a new terminal and car park well underway, the website reports.

Work is also progressing on the new airport at Murcia, Round Town News reported last year. The Corvera hub will function in addition to the existing San Javier Airport and is expected to be operational by 2010, improving access to Costa Blanca locations such as Torrevieja and Santa Pola.

Torrevieja is now not only one of the largest populations in Alicante province but also one of the most cosmopolitan, new data has revealed.

According to the latest figures from the Municipal Padron, which registers all local inhabitants, 53.6 per cent of Torrevieja residents are of non-Spanish nationality, with British people making up the largest foreign group, followed by Germans, Moroccans, Russians and Swedish people.

In addition, the statistics show that Torrevieja is home to people from all over Spain, with natives of very province in the country now resident in the Costa Blanca city, Kyero.com reports.

The figures reveal that Torrevieja is now the fifth largest city in the entire Valencian community, behind Valencia, Alicante, Castellon and Elche.

People are also likely to enjoy long lives if they make their home in Torrevieja - the Municipal Padron states that 14 local people celebrated their 100th birthday recently.

Roundtownnews.com describes this as “a reflection of the relaxed lifestyle and healthy Mediterranean diet, which continue to lure foreign house buyers to Spanish shores.”

Several measures are being introduced to improve the safety of the roads in Alicante province, it has emerged.

Newspaper La Verdad reported that 23 new fixed radar speed monitoring cameras will be installed across the region by the end of 2008, increasing current numbers by a third.

In addition, a new traffic office is set to open in the city of Elche later in the year, which will absorb about 40 per cent of the workload from the office in nearby Alicante and improve conditions for motorists in the area, Typically Spanish reports.

The new office will serve the Costa Blanca cities of Elche, Torrevieja and Orihuela.

Francisco Garcia-Caro, provincial chief of the Central Traffic Authority, recently said that the number of road accidents caused by alcohol in Alicante province has decreased in the last 12 months.

Recent statistics state that luxury car sales increased by 16 per cent in the Costa del Sol province of Malaga during 2007, southern Spanish newspaper Sur has reported.