Record Christmas season for Catalan ski resorts
10% more ski passes sold than 2016, the previous bestselling year
Business
Business & economic news from Barcelona and Catalonia
Hopes high for shops as winter sales begin
Merchants expect up to 5% increase in business this January
Spending by foreign visitors fell 4.2% in November to €937m
Each tourist in Catalonia spent an average of €949, some 2% less than in the same month in 2016
Catalonia ends 2017 with best unemployment numbers since 2007
Just over 418,000 qualify as unemployed, over 35,000 fewer than 2016
Barcelona Airport allots €46.6m service for passengers with reduced mobility
Reus airport to get similar service, while Lleida airport welcomes season’s first UK skiers
Number of new cars registered up 7% in 2017
Sector says it's a “good year” but warns that average age of vehicles in circulation is “very high”, posing a threat to safety and the environment
Tourism up 6% so far this year
Total number of international tourists visiting Catalonia reaches more than 18 million visitors despite drop in November
Fiscal body forecasts fourth quarter growth of 0.7% for Catalan economy
Independent organization for budgetary stability says two decimal point rise is due to “reduction in uncertainty”
Retail sales up 1.7% in November
Purchase of consumer goods grows after previous month’s fall
Best October on record for Catalan exports despite political tensions
Total number of goods sold overseas reached value of 6.3 billion euros
Economists defend Catalan economy strengths
A group of seven expert says Catalan economy remains robust despite recent political events
Norwegian to increase passenger capacity by 77% on flights between Barcelona and United States
New routes and incorporation of new plane will bring total of travellers flying between both countries to 646,000
SEAT sales increase by around 20% in November
To meet growing demand, the automobile-manufacturing company will take on 150 more employees in 2018
Barcelona Supercomputing Center heads European chip development
The project will receive 240 million euros from European funds
Fish and seafood wholesalers expect 2% increase in Christmas sales
They calculate to sell around 7,200 tons of fish and seafood and 90,000 tons of fruits and vegetables
Read the latest updates and breaking news on business and economic matters from Barcelona and Catalonia here. Keep up to date with how the Catalan economy is performing, inflation levels, employment and unemployment, major business mergers, important company announcements, and the latest on Catalonia’s biggest enterprises such as Vueling, Wallbox, Grifols, Mango, and plenty of start-ups and international firms based here too.