27 October, 2015

By VIVA Team

Heading to Spain will increase your chances of enjoying a summer fling, the survey found.

Holiday essentials are more affordable on the Costa del Sol than other leading resort destinations.

Families seeking an affordable holiday should head to the Costa del Sol after resorts in the region were once again named as the most affordable among the world’s more popular destinations.

A study by Post Office Travel Money revealed that the region works out cheaper than 11 other popular resorts for tourist essentials…

According to the study, a family evening meal with drinks, a cup of coffee, a bottle of beer, a bottle of Coca-Cola, a glass of wine, a large bottle of mineral water, suncream and insect repellent costs just £42.49 on the Costa del Sol.

This figure is lower than the Algarve (£46.59), Tenerife (£53.88), Ayia Napa on Cyprus (£55.62) and Marmaris in Turkey, where those eight items will set a family back £68.86. Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh, meanwhile, scored £100.79, dispelling the notion that the ‘newer’ resorts are cheaper than the old favourites such as Spain and Portugal.

The Costa del Sol was also the cheapest destination in 2014, and the study found that 10 out of the 12 destinations are now more affordable this year than they were last year.

“Price is bound to be a big consideration for families so it is good to report a drop in the cost of tourist staples in 10 of the destinations that attract holidaymakers at this time of the year,” said Andrew Brown of Post Office Travel Money.

“The Costa del Sol is the bargain choice but Tenerife, Cyprus and Mombasa look great value with the promise of higher temperatures and more sun.”

Spain’s enduring ability to offer the complete holiday package – value, sunshine, family-friendly amenities, great hotels and affordable property – has once again led to a record-breaking month for tourism.

In September the country welcomed 54.4 million foreign visitors – a 3.8% increase on last year and the most ever recorded for the month.

The data from Spain’s Industry, Energy and Tourism Ministry shows that Spain’s appeal continues to grow, with the first nine months of the year receiving two million more tourists than over the same period in 2014. 

The demographic of this visiting Spain is changing too. While Brits, Germans and the French are the most common visitors, there has been a notable increase in tourists arriving from Asia (33.4% increase) and the USA (23.1%).

In contrast, the number of Russian visitors to Spain has fallen by 36% this year.