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Date Published: 23/02/2022

ARCHIVED - Benidorm and Orihuela top the list of most British towns in Spain

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Survey shows the two coastal towns in Alicante province have the highest number of expats and British bars by ratio in Spain

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Benidorm and Orihuela top the list of most British towns in Spain

Spain's climate, coastline and cuisine have attracted British holidaymakers for decades and unsurprisingly, tens of thousands have decided to uproot and settle on one of the country's Costas.

To find out exactly where Brits are opting to live the Spanish dream, property search portal Spain-Holiday carried out a survey to determine the most British towns and cities in the country, and Benidorm and Orihuela Costa have made the top spots.

The portal compiled a ranking of towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants, based on two criteria: the percentage of registered residents with British nationality and the ratio of British bars, restaurants and shops per inhabitant

And the ranking revealed that Benidorm is the 'most British town/city in Spain, followed by Orihuela, also on the Costa Blanca, pipping the likes of several Costa del Sol classics to the post, including Fuengirola and Mijas.

However, the Costa del Sol does dominate the ranking in terms of the most towns in the top 10, with five, whilst other findings show Brits prefer to relocate from the UK to established popular tourist destinations, avoiding inland towns and cities.

Arguably the most well-known holiday destination in Spain, Benidorm has been drawing tourists to its coastline since 1925 and has a steady and loyal following who holiday in the resort year in and year out, tripling the population during the summer.

And according to the survey, a total of 3,389 Brits have made the resort their home, which represents 4.9% of the census population, whilst there are 43 British shops, restaurants and pubs to cater to their needs abroad.

The second most British town/city in Spain is Orihuela where the number of permanent residents with UK passports currently stands at 10,025, more than 12% of the total population of the municipality. Considering the large percentage of expats, there are fewer British bars, restaurants and shops with a total of 18.

"Orihuela is a charming town close to Torrevieja that's divided into two parts: the old medieval town; and Orihuela Costa, the area close to the sea, which is the one chosen by most British residents to settle in," explained the survey authors, adding: "What makes it so popular is its 11 beaches with Blue Flags, golf course and proximity to airports and motorways".

The fact Orihuela is also home to the largest shopping centre in the province, La Zenia Boulevard, and an abundance of urbanisations are also factors.

Images 1 and 2: Archive

Image 3: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela

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