Thanks to its photogenic curves, impressive volumes and Calatrava's signature, the incredible Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències project has revolutionised Valencia's image and put the city firmly on the map of leisure tourism, as well as business tourism. So it's hardly surprising that a host of stylish hotels and restaurants have been built alongside this vast urban development in what was once the bed of the Turia, and which now provides the best possible link between the city centre and the seaside. With the CAC, sunny Valencia has found its missing link, a pivotal point that is already a must for any traveller to Spain's third-largest city. In Valencia, the future has already found its home.
Community of Valencia Eco profile
Bordered by the Mediterranean, just south of Catalonia, the three provinces of Valencia, Castellon and Alicante combine their 512 kilometres of coastline to form the Valencian Community, with its 23,000 square kilometres and 4.8 million inhabitants. More than half of this population is concentrated in the province of Valencia alone. Two official languages are recognised: Castilian and Valencian (used by a quarter of the population).
The Valencian Community accounts for almost 10 % of Spain's GDP, with a primary sector dominated by citrus fruits (45 % of the Community's agri-food production) and a tertiary sector where tourism is firmly established in its strongholds on the Costa Blanca, Benidorm and Alicante. According to the Barcelona Economic Mission, "the automotive, citrus and ceramics sectors have traditionally been the most dynamic, generating more than half of the Community's exports".
Automobiles are also the leading import sector. Trade again: France, the UK and Germany account for more than a third of the Valencian Community's intra-European trade. France also ranks second (behind Italy) as a source of foreign investment, with a share of 14 %.
At the end of 2007, the Barcelona Economic Mission singled out the investments of "Siderurgica del Mediterraneo (Usinor), Sidmed (Arcelor), Plastic-Omnium, Smoby-Majorette, Sommer Allibert, the Total group, Aguas de Valencia (Bouygues), Norauto, Roda Iberica (Kiabi), etc." as being among the main French establishments in the region.
Valencia growth
The development of the cruise industry, the organisation of the America's Cup, the curiosity aroused by the city's bold architecture: Valencia's success in the tourist markets, both leisure and business, is a combination of factors.
Over the last four years, Valencia has seen the number of its annual visitors double, establishing its status as "Spain's third most popular destination" with almost 2 million visitors. Based on a study carried out by European Cities Marketing, Valencia even boasts "the highest increase in the number of overnight stays by foreign visitors during the period 2001-2006, with a figure close to 20 %" (in fact: 18.3 % in this study).
Growth continued in 2007, with +18 % visitors and +25 % international visitors. The America's Cup effect is likely to continue, as the event gave Valencia the perfect opportunity to welcome a large number of travel agents and other tourism opinion formers, including specialist journalists from the Daily Telegraph, BBC Travel and ZDF. All of which will be showcasing the charms of the destination for several months to come.
As far as business tourism is concerned, Valencia is continuing to strengthen its reception facilities thanks to the Centro de Eventos de la Feria de Valencia, a new 7,700 m2 event space spread over four floors with rather flattering lines, in addition to the 10,000 m2 of exhibition space in Pavilion 5.
Internet: www.feriavalencia.com
