The Costa del Sol has seen a high number of visitors in recent days which bodes well for the summer season, say tourist chiefs.

According to the Association of Hoteliers on the Costa, there was a strong demand for hotel rooms over the May bank holiday.

Hoteliers said high occupancy levels offset a poor performance at Easter. Brisk business was also recorded in inland areas like Ronda and Antequera, reports TypicallySpanish.com.

The Association of Hoteliers on the Cost’s website offers thousands of pages of information, with links to over 300 hotels and more than 12,000 hotel room.

It claims to offer the largest variety of certified Costa Rican hotels available on the internet, including bed & breakfasts, luxury hotels, mountain lodges and beach resorts.

Sevilla - the capital of Andalusia - is one of the great historic centres in Europe, it has been stated.

Celia Ferro, writing for travel portal ThinkSpain.com, highlighted attractions including the city’s 15th century cathedral, which is one of the largest medieval and Gothic cathedrals in Europe.

She also said the Plaza de Espana in the Parque de Maria Luisa is worth a visit – not only because it is one of the best plazas in the world but because appears in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and in Lawrence of Arabia.

Ms Ferro added that Sevilla has numerous bridges that cross the channel of the plaza, which took 15 years to build in the early decades of the 20th century. It is fashioned out of red brick, local tiles and marble.

Finally, she said the quantity of tapas that can be had in Seville is “incalculable”, with many of the dishes fish-based. High-quality wines and beers can also be found.

Sevilla lies on the banks of the Guadalquivir and, according to legend, was founded by Hercules.

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.

Holidaymakers should take a travel guide with them when heading abroad, according to a publishing firm.

Travel specialist Footprint said leisure travellers could improve the quality of their trip if they take a “well-written” travel guide.

Andy Riddle, managing director of the company, said following the advice of an author who knows the country would act as a shortcut to the best experiences it has to offer.

Not carrying this information could, he stated, result in visitors missing out on many of its attractions.

Mr Riddle commented: “A good guide book is a great starting point for getting to understand a country and the choices you have when on the road.”

He added that most guide books are written by authors who know their subject “inside out”.

This, he said, “shines through” when people are using them while overseas.

Spain was recently named as the most popular destination for British families who are planning to head abroad this summer by MyChild.co.uk.

Traditional European destinations are still very popular with consumers going on a package holiday, a travel firm has revealed.

According to First Choice, trips to places such as Spain are still in very high demand among British consumers.

This is despite the emergence and growing appeal of long-haul destinations, such as several Central American countries.

A spokesperson for First Choice went on to highlight the benefits of going on a package holiday to Spain.

She commented: “The property they’re staying in has been audited for quality and safety, and their holiday is fully protected under the package travel directive.”

The spokesperson added that customers can travel safely in the knowledge that staff are on hand to assist if they are needed.

According to data from the Spanish government, more than 59 million holidaymakers chose to visit the country last year.

Alicante has been named as one of the leading destinations for British holidaymakers this weekend.

According to the Independent, millions of people are set to travel abroad during the bank holiday period in order to get some “guaranteed sun”.

The newspaper said that many are hoping to find this in established European destinations such as Spain, in particular Alicante.

A spokesperson for BAA told the publication that London-based airports are set to be particularly busy, with 187,000 flying out from Heathrow today.

More than a million people are set to pass through the terminals of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted this weekend, she added.

This comes after low-cost airline easyJet revealed that its flights to Alicante have been in high demand.

The carrier stated that about 450,000 are set to board its flights during the bank holiday break weekend.

The Mayor of Marbella is forecasting a positive future for the region and its economy, it has been reported.

According to Homes Overseas, Angeles Munoz wants authorities in the area to take a more “consultative” approach with residents and businesses.

This, he stated, will ensure that future infrastructure upgrades work cohesively with existing facilities, thereby improving day-to-day life in the region.

Mr Munoz commented: “I am very optimistic about the economic future of the Costa del Sol.

“We will be providing support and welcoming with open arms the suggestions that the industry have for the region.”

Speaking at the Leading Property Agents of Spain conference, he went on to acknowledge the recent problems in the market, such as the issue of oversupply in some areas.

He said greater consolidation would enable Marbella to recover from this “difficult period”, although he welcomed the fact that it has maintained its brand “despite everything”.

This comes after the Sur newspaper revealed that residents and political parties in the Costa del Sol have backed plans to build the proposed San Pedro Alcantara tunnel.

The Spanish Costas are set to be a major hotspot for holidaymakers from the UK this weekend, an airline has revealed.

According to budget carrier easyJet, about 450,000 are set to board its flights during the forthcoming bank holiday break.

The airline has stated that major resorts in Spain are among the most popular destinations, including Alicante and Malaga.

This is likely to be good news for tourist officials in the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, as well as people who are affiliated with the sector.

Commenting on Spain’s appeal, Marianne West of easyJet remarked: “It’s impossible to rely on the great British weather and let’s face it, sunshine and relaxation is far more appealing than DIY.”

She added that a record number of people are now choosing to spend their bank holiday break overseas.

According to the Post Office, Spain currently offers lower prices than any other nation in the single European currency.

British consumers are not going to let growing economic uncertainty affect their summer holidays, according to a new survey.

A poll by Kayak.co.uk revealed that 60 per cent of people in the UK are not prepared to cancel or change their plans for their trip abroad this year.

This is despite the financial constraints that consumers are currently experiencing, such as increases in the cost of food and petrol.

Researchers found that instead of sacrificing their holiday altogether, people will instead be more frugal by cutting back on their spending while overseas.

Some added that they intend to save a few pennies by not taking as much luggage with them, as this could enable them to avoid excess baggage fees.

Commenting on the findings, Annie Wilson of Kayak.co.uk said: “Last summer was one of the wettest on record and it’s clear that sun-starved Brits value summer holidays far too highly to do without.”

This comes after Spain was named as the most popular destination for British families who are planning to head abroad this summer by MyChild.co.uk.

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.