Girona’s economy has withstood the difficulties generated by the economic effects of the war in Ukraine in 2022 more than expected, which has resulted in an energy crisis, on the one hand, with doubts about energy supplies and, on the other, due to the increase in the price of primary materials that has ended up pushing prices up. In fact, inflation is the major concern of European economies. But in Spain it has gradually “moderated”, going from 10.2% at the end of June to 6.8% last November, the figure is the lowest in the entire euro zone, a differential that benefits exports that seem to be pulling the wagon of the Catalan economy.
Yesterday, the Generalitat predicted that Catalan exports would grow by 16% this 2022 and reach a new historical record, up to 93,500 million euros. According to the ACCIÓ agency of the Department of Business and Work, this would be the highest figure in the historical series, which dates back to 1993. The expected increase of 16% for this 2022 is significantly higher than that of foreign trade as a whole worldwide, which the World Trade Organization (WTO) places at 3.5%.
The Minister for Enterprise and Work, Roger Torrent, states that the challenge for companies in the medium term will be to diversify or shorten value chains to make them more “resilient and secure”. “We are in a context of redefinition of the international order with an increasingly polarized world and where foreign trade will be used as a geopolitical strategy”, he added.
According to the Department of Business and Work, foreign sales are equivalent to 33% of Catalan GDP, a ratio that is above countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Portugal or Finland. In the last ten years, sales abroad have grown continuously with the sole exception of 2020 as a result of the confinement caused by the pandemic.
The flesh, growing
The Girona data already pointed in recent months to this record which will be officially formalized in February. The demarcation’s exports grew by 30% in October and were already close to 6.5 billion euros in the cumulative amount of 2022. According to the Ministry’s statistics, during October the agri-food sector maintained cruising speed, because it was boosted by 37.2% and made sales abroad worth 300 million euros. They especially stood out for the meats, which continued to grow strongly. Especially selling pork to China, a country where exports have doubled compared to October 2021. In parallel, the other two driving sectors of the Girona economy, chemicals and machinery manufacturers , have also gone up. The former, which includes pharmaceuticals, have grown by 24% in exports.
This October’s growth meant that Girona’s exports set a new historical record, having grown by 19.7% and, specifically, stood at 6,438.9 million). Analyzing it by sector, throughout this year the agri-food industry has grown by 16% (and stands at 2,667.8 million). Chemicals come behind, accumulating an 18.1% increase in exports over the course of 2022 (standing at 1,174.9 million).
In terms of destinations, by proximity, France continues to be the main foreign market for Girona products (throughout the year, companies in the demarcation made sales there worth 1,601.30 million). This market is followed by Italy, Germany, Portugal, China and the United Kingdom.
This economic resistance has also been reflected in the labor market: unemployment figures, year-on-year data are positive in the demarcation of Girona. Right now, there are 32,326 people looking for work in the Girona regions. Compared to November 2021, there are 3,654 fewer people unemployed, a drop of 10.16%. According to figures from the Ministry of Labour, the age group with the most unemployed people in Girona is over 45, with 18,407 people, 56.94% of the total.
In the demarcation there are now 334,626 members of the Social Security and despite the loss this September, they still continue to be above those who were there a year ago. Specifically, a year ago there were 326,222 Social Security members in the Girona counties, which has meant an increase of 2.57%.
According to the Ministry’s statistics, during November 18,969 contracts were signed in the demarcation and if you compare this figure with the one recorded in November of last year, the difference is considerable.
The contracts signed this November were up to 24.18% below those closed during the same month of 2021, specifically, there were 6,050 fewer. By type, almost half of the contracts signed in November (8,901) were indefinite; and the rest, temporary.
Housing, in a positive way
The real estate market and the purchase and sale of homes continues to give positive responses. The latest data already published by this newspaper are very clarifying of the x-ray of the housing map in the Girona regions: both the purchase and sale of homes and the signing of new mortgages accelerated their growth in the month of August with some increases of 30% and 28%, respectively, with respect to the same month of 2021 and which have allowed both indicators to chain a year and a half of increase.
Investment in Catalonia’s real estate sector will close in 2022 with a figure of around 3.6 billion euros. As detailed by the consultancy CBRE this week, the figure is “in line” with that achieved in the same period last year.
By sector, investment in offices leads the total with a weight of 30%, although it falls compared to 2021, when it totaled 1.7 billion.
Luxury tourism, on the rise
The member establishments of the Costa Brava Luxury Hotels Association are reaching the end of the tourist season with positive feelings and consider 2022 the year of the return to pre-pandemic data.
According to the association, hotel occupancy has been equal to or higher than in 2019 throughout the season, exceeding 90% during the months of July and August, while turnover has grown compared to that year. They explain that it is due to an increase in rates, although they assure that “it has not been proportional to the increase in costs that companies have had to face”. Therefore, the annual closures may present lower economic results than in past seasons.
Another example of the tourist power is that the Costa Brava has closed a “record” cruise season. This 2022, the ports of Palamós and Roses have reached 63 calls, 26% more compared to 2019. The pandemic, which left the ports without a single cruise ship in 2020 and with only nine in 2021, is definitely behind us and a total of 50,307 passengers have arrived on the Girona coast by stopping on board a ship. The estimated economic impact of the activity this season is 4.8 million euros in the territory.
However, the final balance is lower than the forecasts that Ports made in the spring, at the beginning of the season. At the time, it predicted 66 stops, around 60,000 passengers and an economic impact of 5.4 million euros
In the negative balance, Lloret, the first destination on the Costa Brava in terms of the number of hotel places, is still below 2019. And Gredoç points out that he is motivated because he has not yet managed to recover all of his international appeal.
In fact, the Costa Brava Girona Tourism Board has set itself the goal of recovering visitors from the United Kingdom and Ireland during 2023, which have dropped since the pandemic due to the health crisis and also due to Brexit. In parallel, the board of trustees will work to strengthen local markets such as Catalan, Madrid, Navarrese, Valencian and French. In long distance, promotional interest is fixed in the United States.
The airport below 2019
The Girona-Costa Brava airport is close to 1.3 million passengers in the accumulated 2022, but it is still 31% below the figures of 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year). According to Aena’s statistics, the Vilobí d’Onyar (Selva) terminal closed this November receiving 14,434 passengers. They are double what happened in the same month of 2021, when it was in full restrictions due to covid, but only a third of what it received in November 2019. In terms of operations, however, the line here is clearly ascending. Throughout this 2022, 20,209 landings and takeoffs have been made from the airport. Transferred into percentages, they are 61% more compared to last year and 17% more compared to 2019.
Of these passengers, practically all (1,269,270) took international flights. The routes that have attracted the most passengers are Brussels/Charleroi, London/Stansted, Pisa, Karlsruhe-Baden Baden and Bristol.
Although the passengers of this 2022 are still below those of 2019, what has indeed recovered are the operations. Between January and November, Girona-Costa Brava airport has operated 20,209 landings and take-offs. If this is compared to last year, it is 61.4% more. And if you go back in time, and put them in relation to the first three quarters of 2019, they are 17% more. Finally, between January and November, 115.77 tons of goods were moved from the Vilobí d’Onyar terminal.