The Diplomat
Barcelona will become the world capital of science tourism in 2023 thanks to an initiative of SciTech DiploHub, the hub of science and technology diplomacy in the Catalan capital, and the International Council for Science and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
The aim of this pioneering project in scientific and technological tourism, presented last Thursday in Paris, is to “position the city’s main scientific and technological facilities, such as the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Alba Synchrotron, Tech Barcelona, the Ciutadella del Coneixement, the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park or the Barcelona Science Park, among others, as reference attractions for international visitors interested in science and innovation, thus constituting a new paradigm for Barcelona’s tourism sector,” SciTech DiploHub reported in a press release.
In recent years, Barcelona has become “one of the most important research and knowledge generation hubs in Europe” and the availability of advanced technological infrastructures “has consolidated Barcelona’s science as a first-rate asset,” it continued. In this context, “Barcelona will be positioned from 2023 as the capital of scientific and technological tourism, connecting the main science and technology institutions and projects with international visitors who come to the city every year in the framework of international fairs, business missions and medical, scientific and technological congresses such as the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), or the European Society of Cardiology Conference (ESC)”, highlighted the hub. “This is an opportunity to bring added value to the visitor economy and contribute to a more sustainable and quality tourism,” it added.
The action plan consists of an international campaign and a series of visits to the city’s research centers and scientific infrastructures, which will revolve around different thematic axes: life sciences, clinical research, photonics, supercomputing, smart cities, blue economy and climate action. The strategy also includes the celebration of various international science conferences in 2023 in Barcelona, as part of the centenary of Albert Einstein’s visit to the city.
This initiative aims to attract more than 100,000 visitors over the next five years and is expected to have a budget of two million euros. The project will be supported by the Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat de Catalunya, ACCIÓ, the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation, Barcelona Tourism, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Tech Barcelona, Biocat, the Catalunya Foundation – La Pedrera, La Caixa Foundation, Banco Sabadell Foundation, Catalan Competition Authority, Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, Pompeu Fabra University, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and La Salle – Ramon Llull University. The Science and Technology Tourism Action Plan will be carried out within the framework of the Barcelona Science Diplomacy Strategy 2022-2026.
