Benidorm seeks World Heritage Site status

Benidorm has announced that it is applying to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in a bid to be granted World Heritage Site status.

Director of the Benidorm Tourist Board Maria Jose Montiel Vaquer argued that the Spanish resort, which is located on the Costa Blanca, has special architectural significance due to its claim to be the first high-rise resort in Europe.

For a location to be designated a World Heritage Site, it must be "considered to be of outstanding value to humanity" and should the resort's application be successful, it would join a list including Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Egypt's pyramids and the Great Wall of China.

Such an accolade may result in an influx of tourism to the resort, presenting a potential investment opportunity for overseas property buyers.

According to Alliance & Leicester International, the weather is the key factor in British expatriates choosing to move to Spain, with 92 per cent citing it as being their most favoured aspect of life in the country.