Much property Marbella is empty. The beaches are packed, but something is wrong. The property in Marbella is empty of tourist. The first couple of weeks of the peak summer season this year have revealed a different atmosphere in Marbella and on the whole the Costa del Sol. The beaches are packed but more of the space is occupied by locals who have put off plans for a holiday elsewhere. After all going to the beach for a swim doesn’t cost anything if you don’t live too far away.

Meanwhile the shops, boutiques, the hotels, bars and restaurants are noticing the difference. For example, the hoteliers association, Aehcos, predicts that the average occupancy rate for the month of July will be down around 10 per cent on last year, despite the increase in last minute bookings. “Reservations are picking up a little, but we are still below last summer’s levels”, said Aehcos Chairman, José Carlos Escriban. As for August, bookings are still very slow. Just two weeks from the busiest month of the year and there are still plenty of vacancies in Marbella, Estepona, Fuengirola and on the whole Costa del Sol.

Restaurants and Bars are also noticing the effects of the crisis as customers are ordering more tapas and cheaper set meals rather than selecting dishes from the menu. Also the rental companies for a property Marbella have many emptier Marbella apartments and Marbella villas than last year. The rental prices are lower this summer than last year. One trend that has become clear from the results of the first fortnight in July is that the establishments that are better positioned on Internet have more reservations.

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Related article: Marbella apartments to rent for your holiday.

Spain is starting a strong promotional campaigns for Spain in Britain, becouse of a 15 percent fall in reservations for the summer from the British market. The promotions name ‘A Taste of Spain’ a cultural and gastronomic festival are going to be held in the open air in  Regent Street in London from May 31 to June 3 and also in Edinburgh between July 17 and 19. ‘A Taste of Spain ‘menu will offer Spanish horses, artists, dancers, designers, musicians, cooks, and giant paella, plus a lot of information about what the wonderfull Spain has to offer.

The Frontur survey report that, over the first months of this year there was a 22% fall in the number of British tourists arriving in Spain compared to last year.

Ignacio Vasallo, the Director of the Spanish Tourism Office in London, have also confirm that numbers of british turists have going down and the worst numbers were seen in January, with February also poor and March less so, but he noted that Spain had not lost market share from the UK,which is Spain’s main tourist market for golf, culture, and the sun. He also noted that the main destinations of Marbella, Tenerife, Mallorca and  Costa del Sol were seeing numbers similar to last year, and the number of plane seats available was the same as last year, which is very good for us working with tourists and I hope that the campaign “A Taste of Spain” will be a great success.