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Barcelona's international airport has been named Europe's Best Airport amongst the continent's top facilities handling at last 25 million passengers. The Airport Council International (ACI), which represents 400 airports, announced the results during the 20th ACI Assembly held in Milan earlier this summer. Barcelona won the 'over 25 million passengers' category for its magnificent new facilities, officially opened last year. One of the reasons for Barcelona's top position was the quality of its service for disability groups, says Spanish airports operator AENA. Other aspects that were highly valued at Barcelona Airport were the security systems, the shopping and leisure offer, and 100 million Euro environmental measures like its solar energy plan –which includes the installation of 696 solar panels.

Intercontinental passenger traffic up 72% at City Airport Barcelona is rapidly becoming an intercontinental hub with 1.8 passengers from intercontinental flights last year alone and an increase of 72% in such traffic over the last four years. Interestingly, over half of all this traffic is on North American and African routes, with new destinations like Chicago and Doha coming online the past summer, and more flights to Toronto and Montreal.

The latest companies flying intercontinental routes to Barcelona include Pakistan International Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air Canada. Barcelona is now the 9th most important in Europe in terms of passengers, and intercontinental routes are increasingly important. National passengers and European Union destination passengers made up the vast majority of the 27.12 million passengers coming through Barcelona last year, but Non-EU European and Intercontinental passengers have shown growth of 238% and 72% over the four years previous, with African and North American routes showing strong demand, making up 70% of all intercontinental passengers. 627,560 passengers were from North America last year and 584,194 from African countries. The Middle East and South America represents 24% of all intercontinental passengers, and Asia six percent On the other hand, Iberia has just announced new non stop flights to Miami and Sao Paulo.

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The Spanish telecommunications regulator, the Telecommunications Market Commission (CMT), has officially opened its new headquarters in Barcelona's 22@ technology district. The high-tech-looking 10 storey building designed by architects Battle I Roig  has 12,000 m2 and some 170 workers. The move reflects Barcelona's role in this highly influential market both at the national and international level. Barcelona is already the headquarters for the GSM World Mobile Congress, one of the world's premiere telecoms fairs.

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With China amongst the world's fastest growing areas, Barcelona took a golden opportunity to show itself at the Shanghai World Exposition 2010. From last May until the end of October, Barcelona has is showing two urban development projects under the "Better city, better life" motto, which showcases urban renovation projects from over 50 cities across the world. It's the first time that cities have shown at the World Expo and Barcelona was invited to form part of the event. Its 1,000 m2 stand features the 22@Barcelona innovation district and the downtown renovation of Ciutat Vella, both best-practise cases that have helped Barcelona develop into the city it is today. The Shanghai Expo has also provided a platform for Catalonia and Barcelona to make presentations to Chinese business people with special promotional events like the Catalonia Week or the Barcelona Day. With around 2 million people visiting the Barcelona pavilion, the knock-on effects for Barcelona could be significant with presentations by the tourism, biomedical and design sectors amongst others. Mayor Hereu led a special Barcelona mission to twin-town Shanghai at the beginning of September, gifting a 3.28 metre long by 1.82 metre high replica dragon of Park Güell's famous emblem to Shanghai, whilst meeting key Chinese businessmen. Also visiting the Barcelona stand this September was José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, the president of Spain. Mayor Hereu told Spain's president that the visa processing by Spain's immigration services was blocking demand to Chinese visits to Barcelona and called for new measures to speed up the process.

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Barcelona is developing a network of offices dotted around the major cities of the world. With 16 now open, the latest to welcome interested parties was Hong Kong. Other offices opened include Montreal, New York, London, Istanbul, Shanghai, New Delhi, Dubai and Buenos Aires. The offices employ an area manager whose job it is to help channel business and investments to Barcelona and also provide information that city officials and institutions can use to generate wealth for the city. These range from anything from congresses or events that someone in Barcelona might want to organise or perhaps a trade fair that the city of Barcelona could host. Basically the idea is to facilitate information to make sure Barcelona doesn't miss out. The offices also enjoy the support of important local stakeholders that act as emissaries of the city, helping to promote it to the local community.

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Barcelona's Forum area is now one of the main centres in Barcelona for meetings, incentives, congresses and events (MICE). Key stakeholders in the MICE sector and other foundations, companies and associations in the Forum are grouping together to create a new umbrella brand called the Barcelona Forum District (BFD). The idea is to promote the area as a social responsibility zone, with members highlighting their social and environmental commitments through cultural programmes that would show at different partnering members' premises, a development and certification process, campaigns to reduce energy consumption, develop fair trade measures, and a catalogue detailing fair trade products developed by project members and their clients. Overall, the idea is to promote the Forum zone as a core area for social and cultural projects reflecting the values of BFD members.

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Next Spring Barcelona's trade fair plans to open two new halls with a total of 40,000 m2 at its Gran Via facilities to make a total of 240,000 m2, on ground located between Barcelona and Hospitalet, close to the city airport. Barcelona is the second largest trade fair in Europe and the new halls (numbered 5 and 7) will ensure Barcelona's place at the world's top table of trade fairs. In September 2011 the new halls will already be in use at Itma, the biggest international textile machinery and technology fair in the world. With a total of 8 halls and 240.000 m2 at the Gran Via site and 165,000 m2 in Montjuïc's halls, Barcelona's trade fair is one of the few that can handle large events like the Mobile World Congress, Alimentària, Construmat, the Saló Nàutic, or the Fira de l'Automòbil. The Gran Via premises –mainly marketed at professional fairs- boasts a 5,000 place car park and a heliport with two landing strips, and one of the largest photovoltaic parks located on a building in Europe. The Gran Via pavilions are connected by a 1.5 km walkway designed by Japan's Toyo Ito.

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The city of Barcelona is one of the candidates to host the Secretariat for the European Design and Innovation Initiative in 2011 and 2012, a platform aimed at integrating Europe's design policies and projects. Leading the candidature is BCD (Barcelona Design Centre), a city based foundation designed to promote Barcelona's design sector. The BCD candidature is based around the city's buoyant design sector and its reputation in this sector, the city's international image in creative industries, design and innovation, as well as BCD's own long-standing experience. If Barcelona is chosen, it will lead the EU's European Design and Innovation Initiative designed to coordinate project communications, manage various stakeholders and promote success stories on the integration of design and innovation. Last October and November, BCD organised the Innovation Festival, one of the six international events promoted by the European Commission.

www.bcd.es

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Barcelona registered a significant increase in cruise passenger numbers arriving at its port during the summer months. Last June and July saw 549,346 passengers arriving in Barcelona, a 14% increase on the previous year's tally. From the top of the year to September, the figures are also rosy with 1,825,783 passengers and a rise of 13% more than the same period in 2009. And last August saw a record number of passengers passing through the port with 325,715 cruisers, thus beating the Port of Barcelona's previous best.

www.portdebarcelona.es

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The Executive Committee of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) has announced Barcelona will host the World Swimming Championships in 2013. The announcement means Barcelona will again become the world capital of sport and very much in the spotlight. What is amazing is that just 10 years ago Barcelona also organised the FINA Games, fronted by the charming I-plash mascot. More amazing still is the fact that Dubai was due to host the 2013 Games but when they pulled out just weeks ago the FINA authorities were under pressure to find replacements quickly. Others in the potential host list included Sydney and Seoul, but organisers preferred to work with Barcelona because of its past success and organisational capability. "Barcelona represents a guarantee," says Pere Alcober, responsible for Sports at the city council. The main pool in the 2003 FINA Games was built in the Palau Sant Jordi stadium, a 1992 Olympic Games investment built by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, and the results were spectacular with 14 world records set. Other events like the open water races or high diving and water polo would be held at venues across Barcelona.

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Below the surface and familiar skyline of Barcelona, something extraordinary is happening. It's called Barcino and it is a 105-metre-long, 2.3-tonne latest generation tunnelling machine currently boring a 173-million-euro train tunnel under the city for the future high speed train (AVE) link that will link Barcelona to France. Travelling at around 14 metres a day, Bacino began tunnelling from La Sagrera where work continues on the 700-million-euro future high speed train station. It is travelling to Sants across the very centre of town. By 2012 authorities forecast the 5.1 km tunnel will be completed. The Sagrera Station, meanwhile will take longer, probably ready around 2015, but essentially high speed trains trains will be able to travel between Perpignan in France to Barcelona in just a few years. Work on the high speed track between Barcelona and France is well underway. Girona is currently building its own station but high speed trains are expected to operate the 44kms between Perpignan and Figueres as early as this December with two daily trains. Barcino is an earth pressure balance machine (EPBM), regarded as one of the safest boring machines in the world. Extreme measures have been taken to make sure there are no errors during the tunnelling process across Barcelona. The Spanish side of the AVE network will cost 4.2 billion euros.