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7 reasons why Spain’s the best place on earth

Don't get us wrong, Spain isn't perfect. It has struggled out of a crippling economic crisis as well as having high pollution levels and a perpetually corrupt political system. But despite all that, it is still the best place to live in the world. And here is why:

Published: 8 May 2015 08:37 CEST
7 reasons why Spain's the best place on earth
Photo: Peter Zuco/Flickr

The weather

Photo: Peter Zuco/Flickr

The first thing many people think of about Spain is its sunshine, which attracts millions of holidaymakers to its coasts and cities every year, making Spain the most tourist-friendly country in the world. Everyone feels happier in the sunshine, so grab a cocktail and bask under the Spanish rays. 

Highest life expectancy

Photo: Shutterstock

Whether down to the Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, fish and fresh vegetables, the excellent healthcare, the sociable society, or even the red wine, Spaniards have the highest life expectancy in Europe. Live here for a while and hopefully you’ll pick up some of their healthy habits. 

Best place for mums

Photo: Shutterstock

A recent survey revealed that Spain is one of the best places in the world to be a mum; it is so good in fact that children never want to leave home – well, until at least the age of 30.

A UNESCO paradise

Photo: Shutterstock

Spain has the third most UNESCO world heritage sites out of all the countries in the world (after China and Italy) with 45. The country’s rich and multicultural history is kept very much alive by the many impressive sites that dot the country: from the Roman Tower of Hercules in the north to the breathtaking Alhambra fortress in the south.

If you need a transplant – you’re in luck

Photo: Shutterstock

The Spanish healthcare system is renowned for being among the very best in the world. It is free at the point of service and the country tops the world organ donation rankings. So living in Spain means if you are ever in the unfortunate position of needing a transplant, you're much more likely to get one. 

A foodie paradise 

Photo: Shutterstock

Spain has four of its resaurants ranked in the top ten in Europe. Spaniards, whatever their budget, adore food and the ritual that surrounds it. You don’t have to fork out a fortune to eat like a king in Spain, where fresh produce is bountiful and the most amazing food invention (tapas!) means you can try multiple morsels in one evening. And if you like ham, there is no greater place on earth. 

Spaniards cherish their grannies and their children

Photo: Shutterstock

Spain is a sociable society, one in which grandparents are virtually never carted off to an old people's home, but become the cherished head of the family, often living and socialising with their younger relations. The same goes for family members at the other end of the family tree – Spaniards love children, who are welcome in every restaurant and bar and always made a fuss of – a new mother in Spain can't walk two minutes down the street without being stopped by interested strangers who want to coo over her new tot. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Almost 800,000 fewer UK holidaymakers have visited Spain in 2023 when compared to 2019. What’s behind this big drop?

Published: 23 August 2023 11:36 CEST
Updated: 26 August 2023 18:32 CEST
Why are fewer British tourists visiting Spain this year?

Spain welcomed 12.2 million UK tourists between January and July 2023, 6 percent less when compared to the same period in 2019, according to data released on Monday by Spanish tourism association Turespaña.

This represents a decrease of 793,260 British holidaymakers for Spain so far this year.

Conversely, the number of Italian (+8 percent), Irish (+15.3 percent), Portuguese (+24.8 percent), Dutch (+4 percent) and French tourists (+5 percent) visiting España in 2023 are all above the rates in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. 

German holidaymakers are together with their British counterparts the two main nationalities showing less interest in coming to Spanish shores.

Britons still represent the biggest tourist group that comes to Spain, but it’s undergoing a slump, with another recent study by Caixabank Research suggesting numbers fell particularly in June 2023 (-12.5 percent of the usual rate). 

READ ALSO: Spain fully booked for summer despite most expensive holiday prices ever

So are some Britons falling out of love with Spain? Are there clear reasons why a holiday on the Spanish coast is on fewer British holiday itineraries?

According to Caixabank Research’s report, the main reasons are “the poor macroeconomic performance of the United Kingdom, the sharp rise in rates and the weakness of the pound”.

This is evidenced in the results of a survey by British market research company Savanta, which found that one in six Britons are not going on a summer holiday this year due to the UK’s cost-of-living crisis.

Practically everything, everywhere has become more expensive, and that includes holidays in Spain: hotel stays are up 44 percent, eating out is 13 percent pricier, and flights are 40 percent more on average. 

READ ALSO: How much more expensive is it to holiday in Spain this summer?

Caixabank stressed that another reason for the drop in British holidaymakers heading to Spain is that those who can afford a holiday abroad are choosing “more competitive markets” such as Turkey, Greece and Portugal. 

And there’s no doubt that the insufferably hot summer that Spain is having, with four heatwaves so far, has also dissuaded many holidaymakers from Blighty from overcooking in the Spanish sun. 

With headlines such as “This area of Spain could become too hot for tourists” or “tourists say it’s too hot to see any sights” featuring in the UK press, budding British holidaymakers are all too aware of the suffocating weather conditions Spain and other Mediterranean countries are enduring. 

Other UK outlets have urged travellers to try out the cooler Spanish north rather than the usual piping hot Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol destinations.

Another UK poll by InsureandGo found that 71 percent of the 2,000+ British respondents thought that parts of Europe such as Spain, Greece and Turkey will be too hot to visit over summer by 2027.

There’s further concern that the introduction in 2024 of the new (and delayed) ETIAS visa for non-EU visitors, which of course now also applies to UK nationals, could further compel British tourists to choose countries to holiday in rather than Spain.

READ MORE: Will British tourists need to pay for a visa waiver to enter Spain?

However, a drop in the number of British holidaymakers may not be all that bad for Spain, even though they did spend over €17 billion on their Spanish vacations in 2022. 

Towns, cities and islands across the country have been grappling with the problem of overtourism and the consequences it has on everything from quality of life for locals to rent prices. 

READ ALSO: ‘Beach closed’ – Fake signs put up in Spain’s Mallorca to dissuade tourists

The overcrowded nature of Spain’s beaches and most beautiful holiday hotspots appears to be one of the reasons why Germans are visiting Spain in far fewer numbers. A recent report in the country’s most read magazine Stern asked “if the dream is over” in their beloved Mallorca.

Spanish authorities are also seeking to overhaul the cheaper holiday package-driven model that dominates many resorts, which includes moving away from the boozy antics of young British and other European revellers.

Fewer tourists who spend more are what Spain is theoretically now looking for, and the rise in American, Japanese and European tourists other than Brits signify less of a dependence on the British market, one which tends to maintain the country’s tourism status quo for better or for worse.

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