Barcelona's Port Vell contributes €1,630.7 million to Catalonia's GDP and creates 22,140 jobs.
Offices, trade and ship repair represent the bulk of the turnover
BarcelonaThe study Economic impact of Port Vell (2022), carried out by the Knowledge Transfer Laboratory in Applied Economics AQR-Lab at the University of Barcelona, determines that the contribution of this site to Catalonia's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to 1,630.7 million euros in 2022 (0.6% of GDP) and generated 221. These data represent a 1.7x increase in the results of the study carried out by the same entity six years earlier, when the contribution to Catalan GDP was set at 946.2 million euros and jobs at 13,351.
According to this study, which updates the estimate of the economic impact of all the activity carried out in Port Vell, the total turnover of the companies and institutions located in this port area is 3,018.3 million euros, or 8.3 million euros per day, as reported by the Port Authority of Barcelona. This represents a 1.6-fold increase from the €1,868.4 million in turnover recorded in the previous study.
The total economic impact of Port Vell included in the report is the result of the aggregation of three types of impacts (direct, indirect and induced) and has been measured in terms of the main macro-magnitudes of an economy (turnover, GVA, wage income, tax revenues and jobs) applied AQR-Lab of the University of Barcelona.
The direct economic impact of all the companies and institutions located in Port Vell in 2022 represented a daily turnover of 4.6 million euros, contributing to the creation of 8,087 jobs. Total turnover grew to 1,668.5 million euros, contributing 712.1 million euros to Catalonia's GDP, of which 370.8 million correspond to labor income.
By sectors, 54.6% of all turnover (910.7 million euros) and 44.2% of direct employment (3,578 jobs) are concentrated in offices and commerce. 24.1% of turnover (402.2 million) and 18.4% of employment (1,490 jobs) are activities related to marinas and ship repair, while 18% of direct turnover (301.2 million) and 28.5% of employment (2,309 jobs) are generated in the hotel, leisure and catering industry.
Activities related to sport account for 1.3% of turnover (21.5 million) and 3.3% of employment (265 jobs), while those related to training generate 1.2% of turnover (19.7 million) and 2.2% of employment (1). Finally, Fishing and rescue generate 0.4% of the turnover (7.4 million) and 3% of employment (240 jobs), while 0.4% of the remaining turnover (5.9 million) and 0.4% of the remaining employment (30 jobs) are linked to parking activities.
The University of Barcelona laboratory concludes that for every million euros directly invoiced by companies located in Port Vell, a total of 1.8 million euros were ultimately invoiced in Catalonia, generating 0.3 million euros in state and regional tax revenue. Furthermore, for every million euros directly invoiced by companies located in Port Vell, 13 jobs were created in Catalonia. Additionally, for every 100 direct employees in Port Vell, there are ultimately 273 employees in total in Catalonia.
Strategic Plan
The study highlights that "Port Vell is a clear social driving force for the region," a role that will be significantly enhanced once all the actions planned in its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan are implemented. This Plan aims to consolidate the civic sphere of the Port of Barcelona as a global benchmark for a diversified, innovative, and sustainable civic port with new spaces, such as the Barcelona wharf.
The Plan aims to achieve greater integration of the port and the city by promoting the maritime character of the region; completing the urban and energy transformation; reaching more than 10,000 direct workers (30% dedicated to the nautical sector) and increase the number of start-ups, scale-ups and corporations located in Port Vell, also with a minimum of 30% linked to the maritime, logistics and port sector.