During the last two decades it has undergone a tremendous transformation. First, Barcelona developed new facilities, hotels and other venues in support of the 1992 Olympics. And second, when it hosted Forum 2004, a series of events held that year to explore global issues; the trade fair itself was attended by more than 800,000 people. The new facilities built in the Forum area can handle up to 15,000 attendees.
Barcelona offers a unique combination of architecture (Gaudi), culture, museums (including Picasso), Mediterranean cuisine, variety of venues and access from multiple locations throughout Europe and beyond.
Barcelona is an urban tourism destination – and a definite contender for planning future international trade shows and conventions. And this helps make Barcelona a contender in the international business events market. In fact, the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) identified Barcelona as the third most popular congress city, and the Union of International Associations identified it as the seventh city in the world for convention tourism.
Barcelona is a popular destination for those from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and the United States. In fact, according to data from Turisme de Barcelona business tourism has been steadily on the rise since 2000, nearly doubling from 1.4 million business visitors in 2000 to more than 2.7 million visitors in 2005.
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain (about 1.5 million residents in the city and 4.5 million in the metropolitan area) and one of the 10 largest cities in Europe.
2005 Barcelona Statistics
- Total Barcelona Visitors: 5,061,264
- Total Barcelona Business Visitors: 53.5%
- Total Barcelona Leisure and Other Visitors: 46.5%
- Total Barcelona Hotels (metro area): 268
- Total Barcelona Hotel Rooms (metro area): 25,355
- Barcelona Average Room Occupancy: 76.0%
- Average Visitor’s Trip (nights): 2.1
- Barcelona Visitors from Spain: 30.8%
- Barcelona Visitors from United Kingdom: 12.6%
- Barcelona Visitors from Italy: 8.4%
- Barcelona Visitors from United States: 7.6%
- Barcelona Visitors from France: 6.2%
- Barcelona Visitors from Germany: 5.2%
Barcelona Convention Centers (Highlights)
- Fira Barcelona
Montjuic: 8 halls (115,000 m2 / 1.24 million sq ft.)
Gran Via: 6 pavillions (180,000 m2 / 1.93 million sq. ft.)
- Convention Centre International Barcelona
1,076,400 sqare feet / 100,000 square meters
16,0000 maximum delegates
Two linked buildings
- Palau de Congressos de Catalunya
32 meeting rooms (three levels)
Auditorium holds 2,027
Exhibition room (2,050 m2 / 22,066 sq. ft.)
Barcelona Top Activities
- Walking Tours Around Old Town
(Barcelona Guide Bureau is directly affiliated with Turisme de Barcelona.) - Museum Tours (more than 50 museums)
- Shopping (very competitive prices)
Barcelona Local Information
- Airport: Airport: Brisbane Barcelona International Airport, Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona Weather
The U.S. Department of State Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs has published additional background information about Spain.
Source: Turisme de Barcelona