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Euskadiessencial: A Space for the Future
> Euskal Hiria
Three peninsular Basque regions (Bizkaia, Guipuzkoa and Alava) constitute one of Europe’s most dynamic social and economic realities.
Barely 2,000,000 inhabitants and a little over 7,200 square kilometre combine to create an amazing industrial, financial and human structure that is capable of producing, for example and in relation to Spain as a whole, 50% of the capital goods sector, 90% of special steels, 80% of machine tools and 25% of the aeronautical sector. Its industries record a figure for invoicing that accounts for 8.9% of the overall amount for companies in Spain, with a population that represents 4.9% of the total.
The secret that lies behind this economic potential and strength is simple: hard work and training. A figure that may help to understand the path the Basque Country has chosen for its development is its percentage of university students.
Twenty-one percent of all young people in this Autonomous Community (Basque Country) are enrolled at university. A percentage that rises to almost 36% if we refer to young people between the ages of 18 and 21.
> Communications, a key factor
The Basque Country is a small territory, with a surface area of just over 7,200 km2, with excellent communications both internally and with the rest of Spain and Europe. To begin with, three airports strategically located within striking distance of each one of the major cities allow for access by air from just about anywhere.
Bilbao Airport at a distance of 12 km from Bilbao, it is connected to the city centre by dual carriageway, it has a regular bus service that runs every 30 minutes and there is a comprehensive taxi service. Numerous daily flights link Bilbao to the rest of Spain and to other major European destinations.
The airport in Donostia-San Sebastian, in the beautiful town of Hondarribia, 22 km outside the city, has daily flights to Madrid and Barcelona. A dedicated bus service connects flight arrivals and departures with the centre of San Sebastian. The airport in Vitoria-Foronda, 8 km outside the city, provides daily flights to Madrid and Barcelona.
The continuous improvement and extension of the road network mean that travelling by road is the main method of transport for private individuals, group displacements and freight haulage.
This excellent communication between the three major Basque cities means that convention activities can be held almost simultaneously in each one of them, rendering it possible for those participating in the events to travel with ease from one city to another and enjoy their broad range of tourist, leisure and cultural events.
> Hotel Infrastructure
Euskadi, the Basque Country, boasts a hotel offer in which quantity is compounded by quality. Its three main cities, Bilbao, San Sebastian and Vitoria, have traditionally been welcoming places equipped to receive business and corporate visitors and gatherings.
A feature of these hotels that must not go unmentioned is the excellent quality of their restaurants. Over the past eight years, hotel capacity has increased by 30% and the quality of the services available is on a par with that of any other European capital.
Whereas the Basque Country overall has around 20,000 hotel places, over 12,000 of these are to be found in the three main cities.
> Cuisine and shopping
The reputation of Basque food has spread throughout the world. A large number of its restaurants have received mentions and awards from leading specialist publications.
Yet alongside this cuisine d’auteur, our cities are crammed with good honest chefs who ply their trade with the finest raw materials, and there are bars serving delicious tapas, or pintxos.
The three main cities in the Basque Country provide an excellent opportunity for serious shopping. In San Sebastian, Bilbao and Vitoria traditional-style shops, many of which are located in the old quarters, co-exist alongside shop windows displaying the absolute latest in fashion, accessories and gift items.
> Leisure and culture
Conventions and corporate gatherings need not be incompatible with leisure and the enjoyment of the settings in which these business events are held.
The cities in the Basque Country provide a busy calendar of festivals, popular festivities, and leisure and cultural activities. Their streets, museums, promenades and scenery are also there to be enjoyed.
Every year, from September to April, Bilbao hosts an opera season, and the two symphony orchestras, Euskadi and Bilbao, hold concerts at different venues in the city. In August, the finest international orchestras and soloists take part in San Sebastian’s Quincena Musical (Music Fortnight), which dates back over three decades.
In September, the city also hosts the International Film Festival. In July, Vitoria is the setting for the International Folk Festival, in August there is the popular Organ Festival and in September the week of ancient music, the Semana de Música Antigua.
Another style of music, in this case jazz, is the protagonist of two of the most prestigious festivals in Europe, which are held in July in Vitoria and San Sebastian.
The leisure and cultural offer is presented against a backdrop of fascinating cities, in terms of both their old quarters, with narrow streets packed with monuments, and their 19th and 20th century expansion areas, the ensanches, with interesting architecture. Green mountains, river estuaries, sunny beaches, forest tracts and tiny villages are all there waiting for the visitor who has the time to explore the Land of the Basques.