PRESENTATION

Human capital: this is one of Valencia’s most characteristic values that sets it apart, thanks to the commitment the city has made, among others, towards quality education:

- Of Spain’s three big capital cities, Valencia is the one with the highest percentage of university-educated people compared to the total population (16.36%).

- Valencia University and the Polytechnic University are among the five Spanish cities with the largest number of Erasmus students.

- Valencia is 8 per cent above the Spanish average in Internet users.

Economic dynamism: our city has a modern economic fabric with an established tertiary sector, especially in activities related to advanced services and hi-tech and R & D – intensive industries, noteworthy among which are renewable energies, bio-medicine, bio-technology and the health care sector.

Together with this, tourism has established itself as a strategic feature in the city’s economic development with over 1.8 million visitors a year.

Capacity for Innovation: Valencia stands out for its capacity to be ahead of changes and turn them into opportunities for development. Our city is one of the country’s main R & D centres. It has achieved this through cooperation with all those involved in innovation in the city, such as FIVEC (Urban and Economic Knowledge Innovation Foundation), IMPIVA (the Valencian SME Institute), Cámara de Comercio de Valencia (Valencia Chamber of Commerce), Parc Científic de la Universitat de València (Valencia University’s Technological Park), Ciudad de la Innovación de la Universidad Politécnica (the Polytechnic University’s City of Innovation), Red de Institutos Tecnológicos (Technological Institutes Network), etc.

Infrastructures and connectivity: Valencia is in a significant strategic position for various reasons:

- The Port of Valencia acts as a fundamental motor in the development of connecting infrastructures, with traffic of nearly 60 thousand tonnes a year.

- The Airport is growing in importance and is becoming an ever more important point of connection. Passenger numbers are increasing and it is expected that in 2011 the figure will reach 7.1 million passengers.

- The high speed train will lead to the Central Station being built, which in turn will be the basis for another large project: the Parque Central (Central Park), a project that will link the north and south of the city.

- In 2011, Valencia will have 200km of metro and tram lines. The Empresa Municipal de Transportes (Municipal Transport Company) has 60 bus routes and 98 million users.

Environment: Valencia is also characterised by its good management, development and protection of its environmental resources:

- The Jardín del Túria (Túria Garden) is the city’s backbone and a unique area of 9km in length that makes it the city’s great green lung. This backbone includes such emblematic projects as the Cabecera (Upriver) Park, Bioparc (zoo), and the City of Arts and Sciences.

- Valencia’s Albufera Natural Park spreads out over 21,119 hectares, and is included in the List of Wetlands of International Importance.

- Our city has over 20km of beaches.

Image: Valencia is known and recognised beyond its borders thanks to emblematic buildings and projects: the Palacio de Congresos, the City of Arts and Sciences, Puente del Azud del Oro (Golden Dam Bridge), the Ágora, la Torre de la Música (Tower of Music); and events such as the America’s Cup, the Formula 1 Grand Prix and the MTV Winter Festival.

Our city came top in growth of national and international overnight stays according to the European Cities Monitor (ECM), ahead of cities like Tallinn, Prague, Venice and Berlin. In 2007 it was fourth in terms of growth of the number of meetings for conferences and events, according to the International Congress and Convention Association, positioning itself ahead of cities such as Zurich, Munich, and New York.