[Advertorial] Barcelona lures visitors to the digital and technological capital of Europe

[Advertorial] Barcelona is among the most popular cities to live in the world, and was recently ranked as the best place in the world to visit by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. The city is also the first destination in the world to receive Biosphere Platinum certification.

Barcelona is increasing its promotion targeting global visitors after recently becoming the permanent home of the Mobile World Congress. The world’s largest mobile technology event has been held in Barcelona every year since 2006. According to GSMA, the organizer of MWC, a new deal was agreed with the city and other relevant authorities in June this year for the event to take place in Barcelona at least until at least 2030.

Barcelona has become one of Europe’s entrepreneurial and digital hubs, considered by many to be the Silicon Valley of Southern Europe. The city was ranked first in Europe for its strategy for attracting foreign investment, is the European city with the highest number of tech jobs, according to a 2021 study by CBRE, and is rated as the third most good European for establishing a start-up. – up.

The Catalan startup ecosystem has grown 75 percent since 2016 and, in 2020, more than 18 percent of European entrepreneurs chose Barcelona to set up their ventures. These companies employ over 19,300 people with a combined turnover of 1.71 billion euros ($1.7 billion).

There are more than 1,900 startups in Barcelona, ​​many of which were launched in the city including Glovo or Wallbox. The city has also been the backdrop for the launch of other potential unicorns like Redpoints or HolaLuz. In five years, The Collider, Mobile World Capital Barcelona’s innovation program, has helped launch nearly 20 health, energy and industry 4.0 S&T start-ups and, since 2021, has also supported food technology ventures and new materials (Puzzle X).

A unique digital network has been created thanks to Barcelona’s position as the host of some of the most popular technology events in the world, including the Mobile World Congress, Integrated Systems Europe and the Smart City Expo World Congress, as well as other international events such as of America. Cup Sailing 2024, which will contribute to the development of Barcelona’s blue economy.

View of Barcelona from Mount Tibidabo (Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation)

The city is also at the center of many influential projects, such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, which houses Southern Europe’s first quantum computer and the future home of Europe’s next-generation chip. Barcelona has also seen the launch of pioneering projects such as MWCapital’s Smart Link and the Barcelona 5G initiative, the driving force behind over 25 5G pilot projects, making Barcelona the 5G hub of Southern Europe.

According to the Digital Talent Overview 2022 report, 10,500 young digital professionals joined the Catalan labor market in 2021, reaching almost 100,000 international profiles in the region. In Barcelona, ​​31.4 percent of digital profiles are international, a figure 50 percent higher than in 2020.

Barcelona aims to continue leading Europe’s digital revolution, but aims to do so from a humanistic perspective. The city will continue to encourage developments in innovation and the digital economy with people’s well-being at the center, using human-scale technology.

Barcelona City Council has opened the International Welcome Desk, a “one-stop shop” to facilitate the arrival of international talent by helping them with registration with local authorities, enrolling children in school and finding a home.

In addition, the new start-up law recently approved by the Spanish government is introducing a significant range of fiscal advantages for international professionals and companies wishing to move to Spain, as well as easier access to visas and permits attitude to entrepreneurs and investors.

From Korea Herald ([email protected])