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The Costa del Sol is changing. Although these changes are due to mainly negative factors, I personally think that the area will ultimately benefit.
First of all, let me point out that there is still demand for property in Marbella, and for property in the Costa del Sol generally. The area is still hugely popular as a holiday destination, with passenger numbers through Malaga airport continuing to rise. But the place ´feels´ different.
Already, a large number of Brits and other expats have left Marbella, unable to make ends meet in this tight economic climate. And it seems likely that more will follow.
But the place feels ´cleaner´. Let´s be brutally honest here. Whenever there is a boom, it means that there are opportunities to make quick (and big) money. So over the last few years, it´s fair to say that a few ´undesirables´ or ´chancers´ have come to Marbella. People with no experience, no manners and no class. They made money, they bought flash cars and they drank in the 5 star hotels. In truth, they dragged the place down, and it all became a bit chavvy.
Now that the money is running out, they are leaving. In fact, maybe they´re nearly all gone, because the place definitely has a different feel to it….even since the summer.
The older residents, and the ones that have been here for years, are breathing a sigh of relief. Even the good guys who have worked their socks off in the property sector helping to build up reputable, strong businesses are looking forward to the coming of a new dawn, when their only competitors will be like-minded professionals.
Sure, if the Brits continue to leave, I may soon struggle to buy my English daily newspaper, to buy my Heinz beans from the supermarket, or to watch Sky sports in one of the many football bars, but the place may feel a little more civilised, a little more intimate, a little more Spanish….and isn´t that why I came here all those years ago?
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