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.

People who are keen to invest in Spanish property are being encouraged to look at an area which was immortalised in a James Bond movie.

The legendary spy was played by Pierce Brosnan when he visited Costa del la Luz in 2002’s Die Another Day.

In fact, it was here that the famous scene with a bikini-clad Halle Berry was filmed, deliberately echoing a similar scene featuring Ursula Andress 40 years earlier.

Whereas the sequence in 1962’s Dr No was filmed in Jamaica, its modern-day equivalent was shot in Cadiz - the oldest city in Europe.

According to the Telegraph, this has helped bring “new-found glamour” to a region that has so far been largely overlooked by foreign property buyers.

The newspaper commented: “Locations that were considered exotically remote while Bond was causing mayhem in them now read like a list of overseas hotspots.”

Tourists from the UK are increasingly allowing their culinary tastes determine their choice of holiday destination, new research has revealed.

According to travel website Expedia.co.uk, about one in ten British leisure travellers plan their trip around areas which are famous for certain delicacies.

This could help to explain the continuing popularity of Spain among British tourists, as it is famous across the world for dishes such as paella, tapas and gazpacho soup.

Commenting on the findings, Alison Couper of Expedia.co.uk said they show that many stereotypes about holidaymakers from the UK are not true.

She remarked: “Brits are becoming more dedicated to immersing themselves in the home-grown local cuisine.”

Ms Couper added that the research underlines the fact that UK citizens are becoming more and more adventurous with their culinary choices while overseas.

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.

Holidaymakers from the UK are apparently spending most of their break lying by the pool within their hotel complex, according to experts.

Research by Halifax found that the average British tourist spends the vast majority of their holiday lazing about and sleeping.

The financial provider added that by the time evening comes around, visitors stay in the same complex and drink in the hotel bar.

However, the findings have been met with criticism by one of the leading organisations within the UK travel industry.

Speaking to the Independent, Sean Tipton of the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said Britons are not “unadventurous” when on holiday.

He commented: “Britons have been going abroad for about 40 years and our holidaying habits are incredibly varied.”

Abta recently identified Spain as a hotspot for British tourists, describing it as the “outright favourite” among those who went abroad during Easter.

Britons who are planning to visit Spain this summer have been advised to get their currency sooner rather than later.

The pound has now fallen to an all-time low against the euro, which has made purchasing the currency more expensive.

Since European countries such as Spain are among the most popular holiday destinations for British tourists, travel industry officials have urged people to try to minimise the impact of the exchange rate movements.

Kevin Mountford, spokesperson for Moneysupermarket.com, commented: “This is having quite an impact.

“Tourists now have to be careful not to leave their currency exchange until the last minute.”

A similar opinion was expressed by David Kuo of The Motley Fool, who told the Metro that consumers should get their money now and put it to one side.

Speaking to the newspaper, he said the pound is likely to have fallen further by the time summer comes around.

Holidaymakers have been advised to see past myths surrounding certain parts of Spain by industry analysts.

Go2Spain said the Costa del Sol is widely perceived by leisure travellers as being “too touristy”.

However, the organisation has stated that this is not the case in every part of the region, as there are still peaceful and unspoiled locations in the vicinity.

The resort of Nerja was highlighted as one such place, as it has remained relatively unchanged in the last few decades and is just 30 minutes away from Malaga Airport.

Furthermore, the Costa del Sol was said to have a large number of villages with traditional buildings among the “fragrant” countryside of Andalucia.

Go2Spain commented: “There is plenty of Spanish-style accommodation on offer, all the better to enjoy the glorious sandy beaches and a mixture of Baroque and Moorish architecture.”

This comes after UK newspaper the Telegraph described the Costa del Sol as a “huge popular location” for British property buyers.

Tourist officials in Spain have revealed that they plan to open an outlet in India before the end of the year.

The National Tourist Office is establishing a base in Mumbai as part of its efforts to attract more Indian holidaymakers to the country, reports the Indo-Asian News Service.

If the plan is successful, it could prove to be highly lucrative for the Spanish economy and encourage growth in sectors such as tourism and construction, as well as the country’s housing market.

This may also serve to enhance its appeal among foreign property buyers who are seeking a good buy-to-let investment overseas.

Commenting on the move, Spanish ambassador to India Ion de la Riva said he is “looking forward” to increasing tourism in Spain.

He remarked: “We would like more people to visit the country from India.”

According to official figures, 59.2 million foreign leisure travellers visited Spain in 2007.

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.

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.