Rental properties in the Balearic Islands (29.1%), Alicante (27.4%), Málaga (25.7%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (21.9%) are seeing strong international demand, each accounting for more than 20% of total rental interest in Q1, according to a study by idealista. Among the main residential markets, Valencia tops the list with 17% of demand from abroad, ahead of Barcelona (15.3%) and Madrid (9.1%). Germans, French and British are the leading nationalities, followed by Americans, Italians and Portuguese.
Overall, rental properties in coastal and tourist provinces attract a greater share of international interest, driven largely by European countries such as Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands and Italy, but also by the United States, Argentina, Morocco and Colombia, according to idealista/data.
In the Balearic Islands, 29.1% of rental listings attract foreign interest, led overwhelmingly by Germans (39%), well ahead of the British (9%) and Italians (7%).
Alicante follows with 27.4% of visits from abroad, mainly from the Netherlands (14%), Germany (11%) and the UK (9%).
In Málaga, 25.7% of rental searches come from outside Spain, with the UK (11%), Germany (10%) and the Netherlands (9%) topping the list.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife also remains above the 20% mark (21.9%), where Germans (23%) outpace Italians (19%) and the British (8%) in their rental searches.
Other coastal and tourist provinces such as Las Palmas, Girona and Almería also register notable foreign demand, each above 15%, with Germans, French, British, Italians and Dutch among the most active nationalities.
Foreign demand for rentals is strong in Valencia, ahead of Barcelona or Madrid
Among Spain’s major residential markets, Valencia (17%) received the highest share of visits to rental properties, ahead of Barcelona (15.3%), Madrid (9.1%) and Seville (8.1%).
US visitors focused primarily on Valencia, Madrid and Seville, accounting for 13–14% of foreign searches in these provinces, while in Barcelona, US interest came second to the French (11%).
In Valencia, Germans (9%) and French (8%) joined North Americans as the most active nationalities, while Italians (9%) were prominent in Barcelona. In Madrid, searches from France (8%) and Italy (7%) stood out, and in Seville, French and Italian visitors accounted for 11% and 9%, respectively.
Although foreign demand remains below 10% in most other provinces, certain patterns are notable: Portuguese searches dominate border provinces such as Badajoz (40%), Huelva (27%), Pontevedra (22%) and Ourense (15%). Andorra leads foreign interest in Lleida (18%), and Brazil accounts for 10% of foreign rental searches in Valladolid.
Latin American countries, including Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba, also feature among the main sources of demand in inland provinces such as Guadalajara, Toledo, Segovia and Ávila.