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Walk through Benidorm's British quarter on an England match night right now and the atmosphere is something else entirely. The streets are packed, the pub screens are full, and the beer is flowing at a rate that has left even seasoned local distributors raising their eyebrows.

 

The numbers are extraordinary. Suppliers estimate that close to four million litres of beer will have been distributed to Benidorm's British bars across the weeks of the main England matches, working out at roughly 190,000 litres every single day. To put that in context, during the Euros two summers ago, also held in summer, one major distributor shifted 700,000 litres. This time around, the same company expects to close the tournament at between 800,000 and 900,000 litres on its own. The overall market has grown enormously.

 

Ginés Cañavate, one of the area's main wholesalers, says the profile of visitors arriving this summer is directly driving the surge. "There are many more young people and, naturally, they are big consumers," he points out. Bar owners back this up, with at least one of the biggest British pub operations in the resort confirming sales are running around 30% above a normal summer, a figure that mirrors almost exactly what distributors are seeing on their end.

 

Sergio Bobante, head of another major distributor, explains why this World Cup is so different from the last one. "It was held between November and December, and consumption is completely different. Now it's summer, with very high temperatures, and that makes a huge difference," he says. During Qatar, his company moved around 300,000 litres. The contrast speaks for itself.

 

One reason so many fans have opted for Benidorm over travelling to the host nations is straightforward economics. With attending matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico estimated to cost between €15,000 and €20,000, industry sources note that "the majority of British tourists who come here are working class, and those costs are beyond the reach of many people."

 

Spanish-brewed beer is the drink of choice for almost everyone, available for around €2 a pint compared to up to €5 for imported UK brands. British ciders, both traditional and flavoured varieties, are also selling strongly. Water has become one of the hardest products to keep in stock, with at least one major pub running out entirely last weekend due to the heat.

 

Virtually all of the clientele watching the matches is British, and the atmosphere inside the bars during England games has been, by all accounts, electric.

 

With Benidorm having already put a major security operation in place ahead of the tournament following an 18% surge in UK flights to Alicante, the city was clearly well prepared for what has become one of its most commercially exciting summers in recent memory.

 

England's next match is Saturday June 28 at 11.00pm Spanish time. The bars will definitely be ready.