The town is to host an event to promote the sale of residential properties with investors and developers in attendance

In March, the town of Benalmádena will host the fourth edition of the Russian Meeting Point, an event that seeks to place the real estate industry in contact with and promote the sale of properties in the Russian market, one of the fastest growing markets on the Costa del Sol. The town’s mayoress, Paloma García Gálvez, signed the agreement at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, which will see the town host this event. The occasion will offer Spanish developers, agencies and financial institutions the opportunity to meet with Eastern European investors and stakeholders.

The Russian Meeting Point – Benalmádena 2013 will be held on 13 and 14 March, according to the mayoress, who highlighted that this private initiative will serve to encourage the sale of properties on the Costa del Sol and the rest of the Spanish coast in Russia, in addition to promoting the town as a residential destination. “Over the course of two days, our town will play host to the main Russian real estate agents and investors. As a result, we will have the opportunity to convert ourselves into a showcase for the residential market, both in terms of the promotion of real estate and other properties whilst displaying the virtues and attractions of Benalmádena”, she explains. In this regard, she highlights that their aim is for the Russian market to consider “investing in Benalmádena as attractive”. The real estate event, which targets estate agents and investors from Russia and other former Soviet nations, will be held at Hotel Holiday World Polynesia.

In turn, the president of Barcelona Meeting Point, Enrique Lacalle, asserts that Russians “love Spain”; in fact, he goes on to mention, it is this market that has experienced most growth in recent years on the Costa del Sol as “they have snapped up a significant part of the stock available in this area”. “There is great demand amongst the Russian middle class to purchase second homes on the Spanish coast as they love the climate, the beach, they like Spanish people, they like our cuisine and, what’s more, Spanish property is affordable for them”, explains the head of the host company.

Lacalle highlights that the three editions held to date “have been a success in terms of participation and sales, demonstrating that this meeting that professionally brings together supply and demand works”.

The Councillor for Tourism, Adolfo Fernández, underlines the significant economic boost that the event will generate and recalls that, according to the organisers, turnover from the second edition totalled almost €200 million. The mayoress has also brought attention to the importance of investing time in an emerging market like Russia, “harnessing the strong synergy and knowledge of Russian tourists of brands from Spain and the Costa del Sol, in addition to our culture, which is particularly popular in Russia”.

Fernández highlights the need to work with this foreign market to counteract seasonality issues and emphasises the high purchasing power of Russian tourists, who spend fifty percent more on average than visitors from other foreign markets.

The Russian Meeting Point will occupy a surface area of almost 600 square metres, divided into four different areas. Specifically, there will be an exhibition area which will play host to the different participating entities and a conference room. This event will place a special focus on private meetings between exhibitors and investors; it also offers the additional advantage of Russian investors in attendance being able to visit the properties in which they are interested after meetings with their counterparts.

The event will also play host to round tables on matters related to the initiative, such as how to sell residential properties to Russian investors.

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There is great demand amongst the Russian middle class to purchase second homes on the Spanish coast as they love the climate, the beach, they like Spanish people, they like our cuisine and, what's more, Spanish property is affordable for them