Business

Official figures indicate that around 7,700 buildings were built in Catalonia in the first six months of 2010; more than half the number constructed in the whole of 2009

The Catalan capital is the top destination in Spain for tourists travelling on cruises, accounting for more than a third of all passengers, according to official figures

The Barometer of confidence in the housing sector indicates a restoration of trust for the first time since the beginning of the economic crisis

In a decision that will hit Spanish airspace heavily in one of the busiest months of the year, the country?s air traffic controllers are to go on strike for the first time in history

In July, the total number of Catalan jobless stands at 539,191, thanks to the creation of service sector summer jobs

5.8 million people visited the country in the first semester of the year and forecasts predict a rise in hotel occupancy this summer, according to official figures released by the government

?There is a good trend towards recovery in Catalonia in the second half of the year,? states Antoni Castells, Minister of Economy and Finance

The award-winning football club uses its Asiatic tour to explain the tourist attractions of the country it comes from

Despite the rise in fuel prices and the dollar as well as the negative effects of the volcanic ash cloud, the Catalan company Vueling has gained a profit of 7.1 million euros in the year?s first trimester.

Local cooperatives and businesses in Catalonia are working together to improve production quality of fruit in order to commercialise in the Catalan market where most of the fruit consumed is imported from abroad.

Businesses from Catalonia and Quebec are starting to form partnerships in the fields of aerospace, consulting, and biotechnology. ?Quebec is an opportunity for Catalan companies to enter into the American market?, said Françoise Bertrand.

The county of Baix Llobregat located just south of Barcelona is fighting the crisis with plans to expand its aerospace sector. A new park aims to become the new mobility and logistics pole in Catalonia.

Within the last 5 years, Barcelona?s El Prat Airport has seen the number of intercontinental passengers grow about 70%. In addition, the number of flights and destinations within other continents have increased.

Barcelona?s Mayor, Jordi Hereu, engaged ?walking together? with SEAT to redefine the future of the car industry and recover from the crisis. In a visit to the SEAT factory in Martorell, next to Barcelona, Hereu offered SEAT to use Barcelona as a platform

Some young workers are becoming stuck into long-term unemployment, with little future perspectives. In addition, long-term unemployment has overtaken short-term unemployment.