Spain’s poorest cities include Costa Blanca tourism hubs

THREE of Spain’s most popular cities for tourists are also amongst Spain’s poorest. According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), out of 109 locations assessed for quality of life, Elche, Benidorm and Torrevieja are ranked as some of the poorest cities in the country. Also on the Costa Blanca, nearby Elda is listed as having the highest unemployment rate in Spain, with an appalling 40 per cent average of citizens without work.
Three neighbouring suburbs of Madrid, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Las Rozas and Majadahonda, are the wealthiest areas of the country with an average income of around €54,500 per year.
At the other end of the scale is Torrevieja, where the average income is only €8,000 – Benidorm’s annual average income is reportedly similar to that of Torrevieja.
Pozuelo de Alarcon is rated as not only being the richest community in the country, it also has the lowest unemployment statistic at only 9.4 per cent.
Tourism statistics were also included in the survey, which showed Barcelona leading with 17.5 million visitors in 2013, followed by Madrid with 16 million and Benidorm at 13 million.