SPAIN may have had little success in the Eurovision Song Contest – poor Miki said last night that he and his team 'sang and danced their hearts out' and deserved a top 10 place, something the country has not achieved since Pastora Soler squeezed into it in 2010 – but it doesn't hurt for Spain to step aside and let another nation do something better. After all, there's plenty our country achieves that beats the rest of the world, or not far off.
We can list you 10 of these off the top of our heads, but there are almost certainly more we could add.
Tourism
Holidaymakers have always been among the biggest contributors to Spain's economy, but in the last few years its popularity has continued to soar. The number of foreign tourists who visit the country every year double that of the resident population – and not just those from the north seeking sunshine, beaches, cheap alcohol and outdoor swimming pools. Indeed, many other countries close by offer all this at a lower price – like Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt – and beach weather is only, at a push, five months of the year. Spain attracts tourists for many, many other reasons: highly-affordable skiing breaks, with many resorts suitable for beginners, novices or the nervous; beautiful countryside ranging from desert to water meadows, pine forest and mountains to rolling, emerald hills, huge, modern cities to crumbling, remote villages that still use working donkeys and plough by hand and where running water did not arrive until the 1970s, and some of the most stunning and unusual monuments on earth. For this reason, Spain is the second-most popular destination for tourism in the world – ahead of the USA, and only beaten by France.
Healthcare
It's official: however frustrated you may be stuck on a waiting list for a consultation, this is probably only an issue in your own area health department, and Spanish law states that you are free to choose another if you require in any case. With ongoing advances in technology and techniques, some of the most talented medical scientists in the world and an attitude that 'if you need it, you'll get it' – no excuses dished out because a certain treatment is 'too expensive', and nobody 'shamed' for going to A&E or booking an appointment because they 'should have known it was nothing' or 'it's not serious enough to warrant taking up health service time', it's unsurprising expats find being treated under the Spanish healthcare system a refreshing change. Spain's medical services are focusing more and more these days on prevention rather than cure, and whatever your age, you'll normally be expected to go to your GP for a blood test and general check-up at least once a year, even if you've never had so much as the common cold. Mammograms are provided automatically to all women aged 45 to 65 and bowel cancer screening from age 50 to70, but can be requested without issue before or after these ages.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com