Alicante has a valuable concentration of resources to make companies grow.
INDUSTRIES AND THE ECONOMY OF ALICANTE
The city hosts a business community made up of more than 25,000 companies that focus their activities on consolidated and emerging industries. Located in the local administrative division known as the comarca de l’Alacantí, it is distinguished for its potential in the following activities:
“The city is a European benchmark thanks to its multi-sector industry and its diversified economy”.
Technology and innovation
The commitment to the digital sector has attracted hundreds of tech companies and startups, as well as digital nomads, which is all due to the business potential and the quality of life available for their personnel. Furthermore, public initiatives such as Alicante Futura have resulted in the municipality being considered as the European “Silicon Valley”.
UP TO
1
UNIVERSITIES IN A RADIUS OF 2 HOURS BY CAR
1
50
CORPORATIONS AND ENTITIES FROM THE TECHNOLOGY SECTOR
MORE THAN
1
MILLION KILOS OF FREIGHT A YEAR
1
MILLION TONS OF FREIGHT
THE HIGH SPEED TRAIN WILL LINK THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST
Transport and Logistics
Thanks to its strategic geographical location in the “heart” of the Mediterranean Basin, and an advanced infrastructure and transport network (airport, port and high speed train), Alicante is a powerful logistics hub worldwide where leading international companies have found the best base of operations.
Industry
On an industrial level, Alicante is strong in manufacturing industries specialising in the areas of leather and footwear, paper, textiles, metallurgy, machinery manufacturing, or the production of plastics. There are almost a thousand companies whose activities focus on the aforesaid areas, which are spread out all over the province.
The region is also affluent in the extractive industries, especially that of marble, with some of the leading firms in the sector, both in the production, the marketing and sale of it, based in towns like Novelda, Pinoso, Elda or Biar.
Relative importance by generation of added value of the regions
AGRI-FOOD
SERVICES
INDUSTRY
CONSTRUCTION
INTERANNUAL GROWTH OF
1%
IN 2021
ALMOST
7.000
COMPANIES FROM THE SECTOR
Commerce and services
The service sector in the province of Alicante grows annually; currently it has a specialised corporate group of almost 10,000 companies, a figure that increases over the years.
As for the wholesale trade there are more than 2100 companies in the city that focus their activity on the development and the sale of household goods; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery, supplies and specialized equipment, information and communications technology systems; agricultural commodities and livestock.
With regard to retail, there are 1770 companies that sell household items in specialised establishments; as well as food products, beverages and tobacco in specialised and non-specialised establishments; cultural and recreational products; automotive fuel, or from stalls and in markets.
In terms of local businesses, the city has a Central Market that is a symbol of commerce and architectural heritage, and there are also different local food markets in the numerous districts of the city, along with “historic” establishments, which have been able to adapt to modern times without losing their distinctive character.
MORE THANCOMPANIES
1500
1500
COMPANIES
Real estate and Construction
The real estate and construction sector is an up-and-coming industry. However, Alicante capitalizes on a province with an enormous range of quality housing, both permanent residences and second homes, and it has the added value of being a destination for a lot of national and foreign investment in luxury properties.
Accordingly, in 2022 interest in the quality product and detached houses increased both in terms of the supply and the demand in Alicante, that is to say, property intended for customers with a high purchasing power. This data has been obtained from the Urban Development Time Map in the Mediterranean compiled by the independent real estate valuation firm called Sociedad de Tasación.
Furthermore, in coastal areas in the north of the province, real estate investment focused on the high-end building of custom homes, while the central area (and also the coast) had the highest level of property development.
This study shows that the market stability and the average building cost is calculated to be 700 euros per square metre, although this figure might go up to 950 euros in certain points on the Alicante coast.
1
AVE ALICANTE – MADRID
5.000
USERS A DAY
MORE THANMILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR
1
MORE THANMILLIONS OF KILOS OF GOODS PER YEAR
1
Tourism
Thanks to its climate, its Mediterranean lifestyle and the impressive range of mountains and beaches that cannot be matched anywhere else in the Iberian Peninsula, the city has become one of the most outstanding tourist destinations on a national and international level. Each year more than 10 million passengers arrive at El Altet Airport, along with the travellers that come ashore from more than fifty cruise ships a year and almost 7000 users a day who travel on the High Speed train – AVE in its connection with Madrid, the Spanish capital.
As for the accommodation sector, the city has more than 10,000 hotel beds, although it is the area of the holiday apartments that is really ‘booming’, where there are more than 17,000 beds in almost 3900 properties of this category.
All these indicators make Alicante a benchmark in holiday tourism, and also in sports tourism (thanks to world class events, such as it hosting the start of the VOLVO Ocean Race), cultural, environmental or MICE (business) tourism.
Agri-food industry
The agri-food industry has a turnover of close to 1400 million euros a year (2% of the provincial GDP), which stands for an input of more than 430 million in the national Gross Domestic Product. In terms of employment, it creates over 21,000 jobs.
It is a sector whose corporate concentration (almost 750 businesses) is located in the south of the province, in the Vega Baja region. This industry has close ties with the land, it relies on the local labour, it contributes to the development of the rural areas and it has a great influence on other sectors. (Source: INECA)
MORE THANPUBLIC AND PRIVATE MANAGEMENT CENTERS
1
ALMOSTHEALTH PROFESSIONALS
3500
Health
As well as looking after people, the Alicante Department of Health-Hospital General is in charge of the healthcare organisation and infrastructure in the city and it reports to the Valencian Regional Ministry of Health. This department provides the healthcare service for the citizens of Alicante, the towns of Agost, Monforte del Cid and San Vicent del Raspeig; it also provides specialised services as an interdepartmental, provincial and even regional and national reference centre.
The healthcare facilities of this territorial area are made up of the Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, eleven healthcare centres, five clinics, two specialist centres and a walk-in centre, with almost 4000 professional working in all of these.
The Hospital Universitario de Sant Joan d’Alacant is just a few minutes away from the Alicante capital, it is part of the Alicante Health Department – Sant Joan d’Alacant, which is made up of the aforesaid public hospital, the healthcare centre CSI Santísima Faz and another nine primary healthcare centres, with their respective clinics, in which almost 2000 professionals work.
Together with these two public hospitals, there are more than 10 private hospitals and clinics in the province, catering for different medical specialities and procedures that are also carried out between the public and the private healthcare systems according to the different medical or social-demographic criteria.
Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI)
La UNESCO defined the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) as being the sectors of organised activity whose main purpose is the production or reproduction, promotion, distribution and/or commercialisation of goods, services and activities of a cultural, artistic or heritage-related nature.
The artistic disciplines that are included in these industries are circuses and performing arts, literature and comics, music and audio-visual, handicrafts, plastic art and graphic art, fashion, tourism and cultural heritage, innovation and technology, gastronomy, media and events.
In Alicante, with the help of the Local Development Agency (LDA) of the city, the ImpulsaCultura Proyecta programme has been launched, which is a cultural entrepreneurship incubator that has embarked upon 87 projects in total through its 3 editions (although more than 500 applications to take part have been received), the coordinators have organised more than 200 hours of online and offline training workshops, and they have given more than 1100 hours of tutoring and mentoring.
DIGITIZATION
COMMERCE
TOURISM
CONGRESSES
CHEMICALS
GRAPHENE PRODUCTION
FOOD
INSURANCE
DIGITIZATION
COMMERCE
TOURISM
CONGRESSES
CHEMICALS
GRAPHENE PRODUCTION
FOOD
INSURANCE
DIGITIZATION
COMMERCE
TOURISM
CONGRESSES
CHEMICALS
GRAPHENE PRODUCTION
FOOD
INSURANCE
PLASTICS
CRUISES
SPORTS EVENTS
DIGITALIZATION
TEXTILE
PHARMACY
CONSTRUCTION
PLASTICS
CRUISES
SPORTS EVENTS
DIGITALIZATION
TEXTILE
PHARMACY
CONSTRUCTION
PLASTICS
CRUISES
SPORTS EVENTS
DIGITALIZATION
TEXTILE
PHARMACY
CONSTRUCTION
REAL ESTATE
LOGISTICS
METALLURGY
RESTORATION
TECHNOLOGY
NANOTECHNOLOGY
REAL ESTATE
SPORTS EVENTS
REAL ESTATE
LOGISTICS
METALLURGY
RESTORATION
TECHNOLOGY
NANOTECHNOLOGY
REAL ESTATE
SPORTS EVENTS
REAL ESTATE
LOGISTICS
METALLURGY
RESTORATION
TECHNOLOGY
NANOTECHNOLOGY
REAL ESTATE
SPORTS EVENTS
PHARMACY
SOCIAL HEALTH SERVICES
FINANCIAL
PLASTICS
INSURANCE
ENGINEERING
CRUISES
TEXTILE
PHARMACY
SOCIAL HEALTH SERVICES
FINANCIAL
PLASTICS
INSURANCE
ENGINEERING
CRUISES
TEXTILE
PHARMACY
SOCIAL HEALTH SERVICES
FINANCIAL
PLASTICS
INSURANCE
ENGINEERING
CRUISES
TEXTILE
FOOD
CONGRESSES
CHEMICALS
SERVICES
ADVANCED TERTIARY SECTOR
TOURISM
COMMERCE
METALWORKING
FOOD
CONGRESSES
CHEMICALS
SERVICES
ADVANCED TERTIARY SECTOR
TOURISM
COMMERCE
METALWORKING
FOOD
CONGRESSES
CHEMICALS
SERVICES
ADVANCED TERTIARY SECTOR
TOURISM
COMMERCE
METALWORKING
INDUSTRIAL AREAS AND LAND
Atalayas
Services
Pla de la Vallonga
Services
Aguamarga
Services
Mercalicante
Services
Florida – Llano del Espartal Unidades 4/7 y Babel
Services
Puerto de Alicante
Services
UA Science Park
Services
Rabasa-Trento industrial estate
Services
Garrachico industrial estate
Services
INFRASTRUCTURE
By land, sea and air, Alicante is the hub of the Mediterranean Basin, and it makes the most of its geostrategic location to become the door to Europe and Africa. A value that is reinforced by its powerful and extensive infrastructure network, which gives the city, and the companies that are located there, a global connection to anywhere else in the world.
Network of roads, dual carriageways and motorways
The city of Alicante is connected by road to practically the whole of the Spanish mainland, and Europe, thanks to an extensive network of roads, dual carriageways and motorways. The AP7 and the A7, which share the route at certain points of the journey, connect France with Algeciras and Gibraltar.
Both motorways are part of the European route E15, which goes from the city of Inverness, in the United Kingdom. Moreover, the motorway A-31 also starts in Alicante and goes up to Madrid.
Alicante-Elche Airport
Alicante International Airport is ranked 6th in Spain in terms of passenger traffic and its freight volume, with annual figures of more than 11 million passengers and more than 3 million kilos of goods, which, overall, stands for more than 95,000 air operations a year. This data also helps to position it among the top 50 airports of Europe.
MORE THANMILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR
1
MORE THANMILLION KILOS OF FREIGHT A YEAR
1
MORE THANAIR OPERATIONS A YEAR
90.000
Thanks to its geographical location (just 8 kilometres to the south east of the city) and the tourist potential of the Alicante province, almost 80% of travellers come from countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Holland, and the most popular destinations in Spain are the connections to Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca. Furthermore, the 118 destinations of the 36 airline companies, which are based in the airport (between direct and indirect flights); include the main capitals and European cities, as well as connections to the other continents.
Port of Alicante
The Port of Alicante is the main logistics platform of the province. It is located on the coast of Alicante capital, its area of influence covers important cities such as Elche, Murcia and Albacete, and it even goes as far as Madrid, which is all based on a high-performance transportation infrastructure that includes the port, the network of dual carriageways and motorways and the airport.
1
1
The road transport is connected through the motorway called Autopista del Mare Nostrum, the Dual Carriageways Madrid-Albacete and that of the Mediterranean, with a direct connection to the whole of Andalusia. As for rail transport, this is also connected to the Spanish and European dense rail networks.
The container terminal has direct access to the railway terminal, which means that rail transport is fast and smooth.
High speed train AVE +
Mediterranean Corridor Project
The High Speed line – AVE Alicante –Madrid was launched in 2013, and it is now used by two million passengers a year, with an average of 7000 users a day. The 22 trains (11 each way) can go from one city to the other in less than two hours and reach a maximum speed at certain points of the journey of 310 kilometres/hour.
AVE ALICANTE – MADRIDUSERS A DAY
6.500
Mediterranean Corridor
The Mediterranean Corridor is a next-generation infrastructure project, which is intended to improve the connection between the Spanish east coast and the south of France:
- Increased flow of goods towards Europe.
- Connection with all the big cities of the Mediterranean Basin.
- Shorter transport time of people and freight.
More than 40% of the Spanish population live on the railway route that goes from Murcia to Barcelona, it generates 40% of the exports of the country and 70% of the port traffic.
TRAM
El TRAM is the name given to the tram service of Alicante, this means of transport has six lines that cover the centre of the Alicante capital and it links up with the towns nearby such as San Vicente del Raspeig (where Alicante University is located), Benidorm or Denia (in the north of the province).
It has a network of more than 110 kilometres, and in 2021 it was used by almost 10 million people. As for its vehicle fleet, it has a number of vehicles whose speed ranges between 70 and 100 kilometres/hour, and they have a carrying capacity of up to 315 passengers (according to the model).
Lines
Business centres and Coworking
Alicante has more than 6.7 million square metres of industrial land, with dozens of business areas and spaces, as well as the science parks of the universities of Alicante and Miguel Hernández in Elche (UMH), together with other sites intended for economic growth and business development.
In Alicante the more traditional consolidated industrial sectors join forces with the emerging industries that have a more future orientated outlook. In this sense, the city is strongly committed to coworking and networking spaces, with a digital and technological philosophy, where businesses and lifestyle are combined to perfection.
Companies
Top 10 companies from Alicante
in the financial year 2020 – 2021
1. Sprinter | Sports gear retail https://www.sprintersports.com/
2. Juan Fornes | Food, beverages and tobacco retail. https://www.masymas.com/es/
3. Balearia | Maritime passenger transport. https://www.balearia.com/es
4. ALDI San Isidro | Food, beverages and tobacco retail. https://www.aldi.es/
5. Hermanos Fernández López | Wholesale of fruit and vegetables. https://www.grupofernandez.es/
6. Neumáticos Soledad | Wholesale of motor vehicle spare parts and accessories. https://www.gruposoledad.com/
7. Musgrave España | Unspecialised wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco. https://www.musgrave.es/
8. Euro Pool | Rental of other machinery, equipment and tangible goods that are not classified anywhere else. https://www.europoolsystem.com/es/
9. Banc Sabadell | Insurance agents and brokers activities. https://www.bancsabadell.com/
10. Almendras Llopis | Wholesale of fish, shell fish and other food products. http://llopis.es/es/inicio/
