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The new emerging industry in Barcelona is perceived by everyone as technological, biomedical, and digital. Apart from its strength in commerce, tourism, and the organization of events and congresses, the range of sectors linked to the city is expanding, with special emphasis on those related to new business models, technological innovation, and biomedical research. Compared to 2011, a strengthening of the city as a business and innovation center is observed, an increase that is also highlighted among Barcelona residents, for whom the Mobile World Congress is a clear driver of this perception.
All of this emanates from the study "Barcelona als Ulls del món 2018" (Barcelona in the Eyes of the World 2018), carried out by the City Council to monitor the evolution of the city's perception globally, through the opinions of more than 3,000 people between 18 and 65 years old from Europe, North America, China, and Japan who have traveled abroad in the last two years; visitors to Barcelona for professional reasons, residents in the city for more than a year, international journalists, foreign businesspeople, and city branding experts, in addition to the qualitative analysis of 240,000 online conversations on Twitter about the cities of Barcelona, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Miami.
STRENGTHENING BARCELONA'S POSITION IN THE WORLD
This report is part of the brand-city narrative renewal project promoted by the Barcelona City Council and developed in collaboration with different economic, institutional, and social actors in the city and territory of Barcelona.
Its purpose is to understand the evolution of the meanings of the Barcelona brand since 2011, the year in which the first "Barcelona als Ulls del món 2018" was conducted; to identify Barcelona's differential features compared to other cities with a similar positioning such as Amsterdam, San Francisco, or Tel Aviv; and also to know if there are differences of opinion among visitors to the city before and after visiting it. All of this with the ultimate goal of strengthening Barcelona's position in the world.
THE CITY HAS A POSITIVE IMAGE FOR LIVING, INVESTING, AND IS LINKED TO NEW INDUSTRY
The main conclusions of the study "Barcelona als Ulls del món 2018", which was carried out in late 2017 and early 2018, show that the city has a positive image worldwide, as a coherent and transversal city, with high general attractiveness.
Its welcoming character stands out, as a place to invest and do business, and also to settle and attract qualified talent. The name and image of Barcelona are internationally linked especially to creativity, and for the first time, also to the technological, biomedical, and digital sectors. It is also recognized for its strength in commerce, tourism, and event organization. As negative aspects, the report notes that Barcelona is a city that faces the challenges typical of a large city, such as high prices and petty crime or tourist overcrowding, and concludes that the city meets expectations among those who visit it, provides a vibrant experience to visitors, and keeps residents proud of their city.
The main conclusions highlight 10 points:
- Barcelona enjoys a positive image worldwide. Its gastronomy, architecture, and emblematic monuments such as the Sagrada Familia and the beach form the city's imaginary, which is coherent and transversal throughout the world and enjoys high attractiveness as a tourist destination and in its general appeal. An imaginary that enriches by incorporating new meanings more linked to Barcelona as a rich and interesting experience, which in turn sees a reduction in the presence of clichés and stereotypes related to Spain, such as bullfighting or parties, among those who visit it.
- A city to live and develop in. Barcelona's attractiveness as a city to live in is very positive among the international public and especially among businesspeople, journalists, and people traveling for business. Beyond the quality of life, associated with the climate and the city's atmosphere, values such as modern, open-minded, cosmopolitan, or cultural are added, along with a greater perception of good personal and professional opportunities linked to the dynamism of the city's economic activity and its area of influence, Catalonia.
- A good place to invest and do business. Experts in city branding, journalists, and foreign businesspeople highlight the solidity of the region's business fabric, its infrastructures, university centers and business schools, the improvement of the general English level, and its dynamism due to the growing presence of startups and innovation and research centers. Although they demand improvements and incentives, they consider Barcelona a good place to establish oneself and attract qualified talent. This vision is confirmed among professionals who visited the city during 2018 for business reasons or to attend fairs and events.
- A city linked to creativity and design. Barcelona is recognized as a leader in creative and cultural industries among the general public worldwide and is associated with brands with a strong component of lifestyle, talent, and creativity. FC Barcelona, Zara, Desigual, SEAT, and Damm are the most mentioned globally, and in social conversation, references to design, which is one of the great dominant themes, gain weight.
- Barcelona continues to offer a vibrant experience. The perception of Barcelona as a fun, friendly, and lively city is consolidated, and it is considered a vibrant place where interesting things happen, even ahead of cities like Amsterdam and San Francisco, and the experience of those who have been in the city is rated as good/excellent, exciting, and happy.
- Barcelona faces the challenges typical of a big city. 45% of respondents find nothing negative to highlight, and those who do mention high prices and petty crime as the main problems shared by large cities and major tourist destinations, although mass tourism emerges as an emerging challenge for the city. They also mention terrorism and references to the pro-independence political moment without observing an impact on the image or altering the positive perception of the city.
- Barcelonians, proud of their city. Barcelona's citizens value the city very positively in all dimensions, and especially as a place to live. The mental map of Barcelonians is very much in line with the imaginary identified worldwide, and they highlight modernity, cosmopolitan character, welcoming nature, and solidarity in a superior way.
- The city for restless urbanites. The profile of the visitor most attracted to Barcelona is young, passionate about culture and advances in biotechnology, who travels often, both for pleasure and for business.
- Barcelona meets expectations. It is a city that generates very positive sensations and emotions, and those who visit it value it even more positively, significantly higher among business visitors in 2018.