Spain still most searched property destination
From "FOH News" on 13 May 2008
The research, from the UK Wordtracker database, listed the 101 most popular search phrases online in the UK during the first quarter of 2008 - analysing over 200,000 search requests.
Spain, as a whole, came top of the list accounting for over 10% of total searches. Although the Costa Blanca (5th) and Costa del Sol (23rd) were the most searched-for regions, the popularity of the Canary Islands has increased significantly, while the towns and cities of Tenerife (8th), Murcia (9th), Marbella (11th), Mallorca (10th), Torrevieja (12th), Fuerteventura (15th) and the Costa Almeria (18th) all attracted a strong level of interest in the first 100 days of 2008.
This interest in Spain from UK buyers is also supported by the Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP) Market Report 2007, which found that some 25.4% of British property purchases abroad last year were in the country, followed by France at 17%.
"Some may be surprised to hear that Spain is still at number one as the primary destination for Britons buying property abroad as there has been some negative media coverage over the Spanish property market," said Paul Owen, CEO of AIPP. "However, our figures show it is still the favourite destination for the British buyer; even a 6% decrease in purchases did not manage to knock it from top spot."
AIPP research, which is based on completed property transactions, claims that the average spend by British buyers on an overseas property in 2007 was £99,200. With 242,000 purchases last year, it adds that £24bn was spent on overseas property by British buyers. OPP Knowledge, a survey of British overseas property buyers undertaken by Datamonitor last year, found that 3.81m homes were owned by UK and Irish buyers who spend an average of £122m a day on international homes. Valuing the market at £44.4bn, both consumers and property companies surveyed predicted that this would double over the next decade.
Who needs good press?
In the top 101 list, France, Bulgaria and Cyprus came next after Spain, but perhaps the biggest surprise is Italy, which has only ranked 21st amongst UK internet users. Despite Italy ranking at 21, the raised profile of new Italian regions like Calabria and Puglia by TV shows like A Place in the Sun and exhibitions like Viva Italia do not seem to have had a major impact on their rankings (at 96 and 71 respectively).
In the more investment-focused markets, Dubai and Morocco both performed strongly coming in at 7th and 13th respectively. Both of these markets have benefited from significant publicity as part of a major tourism drive by their respective governments. Interestingly, Prague made it into the top 20 which suggests news of the Czech Republics strong economy and liquid mortgage market has filtered through to consumers. While it is still popular with the 'stag weekenders' more and more people are discovering the cultural delights of this well-located CEE city.
Research goals
This data was compiled to help overseas property companies choose the right markets at a time when the British are being offered unprecedented choice.
"The aim of the research is to highlight potential partnership and sourcing opportunities for overseas agents," said Globaledge.co.uk director, Ashley Rigg who published the research. "The data shows what people are actually searching for on UK search engines. It helps remove some of the guess work."
In analysis, phrases were grouped by location to create the list. For example, both "Property in Greece" and "Greek property for sale" are grouped under Greece.
Region share of searches
1 Spain 10.84%
2 France 4.58%
3 Bulgaria 3.65%
4 Cyprus 3.37%
5 Costa Blanca 2.42%
6 Turkey 2.24%
7 Dubai 1.87%
8 Tenerife 1.77%
9 Murcia 1.42%
10 Mallorca 0.90%
11 Marbella 0.88%
12 Torrevieja 0.86%
13 Morocco 0.85%
14 Portugal 0.78%
15 Fuerteventura 0.77%
16 Florida 0.73%
17 Villamartin 0.72%
18 Costa Almeria 0.65%
19 Prague 0.63%
20 Gran Canaria 0.59%
21 Italy 0.58%
22 Brazil 0.56%
23 Costa Del Sol 0.56%
24 Cape Verde 0.52%
25 Crete 0.43%
26 Algarve 0.41%
27 Lanzarote 0.40%
28 Valencia 0.38%
29 Limousin 0.38%
30 Czech Republic 0.34%
31 Costa Calida 0.33%
32 Romania 0.28%
33 Marrakesh 0.27%
34 Greece 0.25%
35 Croatia 0.24%
36 Brittany 0.17%
37 Caleta De Fuste 0.16%
38 Corralejo 0.16%
39 Madeira 0.16%
40 Costa Teguise 0.16%
41 French Alps 0.13%
42 Javea 0.12%
43 Slovakia 0.12%
44 Jalon 0.12%
45 Caribbean 0.11%
46 Barbados 0.10%
47 New Zealand 0.10%
48 Nerja 0.10%
49 Bansko 0.10%
50 Corfu 0.10%
51 Andalucia 0.10%
52 Dordogne 0.09%
53 Roquetas 0.09%
54 Montenegro 0.09%
55 Goa 0.08%
56 Egypt 0.08%
57 Switzerland 0.08%
58 Umbria 0.08%
59 Mexico 0.08%
60 Thailand 0.08%
61 Extremadura 0.08%
62 Palm Mar 0.07%
63 Languedoc Roussillon 0.06%
64 Sofia 0.06%
65 Charente 0.06%
66 French Riviera 0.06%
67 Paphos 0.05%
68 Savoie 0.05%
69 Kanpur 0.05%
70 Mijas Pueblo 0.05%
71 Puglia 0.05%
72 Australia 0.04%
73 Chamonix 0.04%
74 Le Marche 0.04%
75 Ibiza 0.04%
76 Moraira 0.04%
77 Berlin 0.04%
78 Mazarron 0.04%
79 Playa Del Carmen 0.04%
80 South Of France 0.04%
81 Larnaca 0.04%
82 Malta 0.04%
83 Provence 0.04%
84 Courchevel 0.04%
85 Latvia 0.04%
86 Hungary 0.03%
87 Meribel 0.03%
88 South Africa 0.03%
89 Canada 0.03%
90 Costa De La Luz 0.03%
91 Malaga 0.03%
92 Dominican Republic 0.03%
93 South West France 0.03%
94 Cape Town 0.03%
95 La Manga 0.03%
96 Calabria 0.03%
97 Menorca 0.03%
98 Poitou 0.03%
99 Bordeaux 0.03%
100 Axarquia 0.03%
101 Estonia 0.03%
