Barcelona has a long industrial and commercial history. It is a dynamic yet welcoming city and one of the largest economic and business centres in Mediterranean Europe, actively connected to the European community and Latin America. Its metropolitan area is inhabited by around 4.5 million people.

The Fira, (Barcelona Exhibition Halls), organises numerous exhibitions and events, some of which were organised here first, which has made it one of the most important fairs in the world and number one in Spain with more than 3.5 million visitors a year.

The Fira de Barcelona is a powerful platform for promoting company products and services and its international projection; generates wealth in Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, thus, continuing a tradition of over 100 years that began with the Universal Exhibition of 1888.

The Fira houses 80 rooms with space for 40,500 exhibitors. It is a leader in industrial and professional exhibition halls in Spain and has 15 rooms that are considered to be some of the best in Europe.

In addition, the city has a number of facilities for conferences, where national and international events are held throughout the year.

The port of Barcelona has in recent years become one of the major ports in the Mediterranean both in freight tonnage and number of containers. It is also the first Mediterranean port where cruise ships stop in the city. The airport, which in 2006 recorded traffic of over 30 million passengers is presently the second busiest airport in Spain. However current expansion will soon enable it to cope with over 40 million passengers. In the year 2008 the city will also be linked to Madrid by a high-speed railway line, which is under construction, and has already been put into service between Madrid and Lérida, the Catalan city located some 150 kilometres from Barcelona. The high-speed line will be extended to the French border, where it will continue until it meets the current French high-speed network, which will also establish a rapid rail link between Barcelona and Paris.

In recent years, thanks mainly to the dynamism of the service sector, tourism and construction sectors, the region of Barcelona has practically reached full employment levels successfully overcoming the problem of relocation in the industrial sector and the strong immigration from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Barcelona's economy in 2006 grew by 3.5%, the highest percentage growth in the last five years, according to the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce.