Rental demand in Spain is increasingly being fuelled by people from abroad, and Alicante is right at the centre of it.
A new report from property site Idealista shows that in the first quarter of this year, 27.4% of all rental property views from international visitors were for Alicante. That puts the province just behind the Balearic Islands on 29.1%, but ahead of Málaga (25.7%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (21.9%).
Costa Blanca setting the pace
It’s hardly a surprise that the Costa Blanca, with Alicante as its anchor, has become such a magnet for overseas renters. Northern Europeans are leading the charge: the Dutch top the list with 14% of searches, followed by Germans (11%) and the British (9%).
What they’re coming for isn’t hard to guess – sunshine all year round, a string of coastal towns like Benidorm, Jávea, Altea and Torrevieja, and the city of Alicante itself.
Add in good roads, solid services, and an international airport that makes coming and going painless, and it’s clear why the place is in demand. Compared with pricier hotspots such as the Balearics or Málaga, Alicante also looks like good value.
Valencian Community pulling its weight
The wider region is doing well too. Valencia province clocked 17% of international rental searches, ahead of Barcelona (15.3%), Madrid (9.1%) and Seville (8.1%). In Valencia city, the Americans are surprisingly keen, making up about 13–14% of interest, followed by Germans (9%) and the French (8%).
Other parts of Spain still popular
Alicante and Valencia may be stealing the limelight, but they are not the only ones. Málaga and Santa Cruz de Tenerife continue to attract plenty of British, German and Italian attention. Other coastal areas such as Las Palmas, Girona and Almería also see more than 15% of searches from abroad.
Inland Spain shows a different pattern: Madrid and Seville appeal strongly to Americans, while Latin American renters, from Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba, tend to look at places like Guadalajara, Toledo, Segovia and Ávila.
