VALENCIAN COMMUNITY

The Valencian community stretches from Vinarós in the north to Cabo Roig  in the south and encompasses the Costa Blanca and Costa Azahar.  The region is divided into three provinces,  Castellon, Valencia and Alicante.  The Valencian community is the largest tourist region in Spain and is home to Benidorm, the biggest holiday resort on the Costa Blanca . The capital city of the area is Valencia.  Recently, Valencia airport has become one of the airports used by budget airlines from the UK, this has opened up  tourism on the Costa Azahar, which before was  used mainly by Spanish tourists. The  Costa Blanca is Spain's largest tourist destination and has become a popular area for second home owners from throughout Europe. Alicante is the capital city of the Costa Blanca and is home to the region's main airport.  Flying to Alicante is now cheaper than it was five or six years ago with many budget airlines vying for customers.  The coastal region is the most populated area. Inland  there are mountains farms and vineyards with small villages dotted around.  The Spanish building industry is constantly eating up the coastal districts with many coastal resorts now merging into large sprawls.  A boom in property prices occurred between the mid  nineties and 2007 with house prices doubling and even trebling in some areas.  At the time of writing, Feb 2009 the property market has crashed with supply outstripping demand and many construction companies going bust.  If you're in the market for a property in Spain now is the time to buy.

Much of the Costa Blanca's tourism industry is now reliant on private apartment and villa rental.  Property owners can earn extra income by renting out their apartments and villas during the times they aren't using them.