Madrid is an ideal destination for business tourism. Each year, the Spanish capital welcomes more than one million business tourists, representing one eighth of the overall number of tourists who visited Spain. Roughly 15 percent of the capital’s visitors were business travellers.
If there is one thing that sets Madrid apart, it is its wide variety of cultural and leisure activities – enough to keep guests busy from the early hours of the morning until late at night.
One of Madrid’s greatest advantages is its communications system. Madrid is the indisputable international hub between Europe and Spanish-speaking South America, and also has enormous potential to become the main gateway to North America thanks to its international airport, which offers direct flights to 176 cities worldwide. Madrid-Barajas is one of the biggest airports in Europe in terms of passenger volume, with more than 45 million passengers passing through every year.
In addition, Madrid boasts an extensive subway network, city and intercity bus services, and an excellent railroad system connecting Spain’s largest cities quickly and directly via the high-speed AVE train. Madrid’s strategic position in the heart of Spain teamed with its vast cultural and leisure offering allows for the easy mix of business tourism with leisure tourism.
Hospitality options
Madrid is also renowned for its vast range of hotels, particularly for the excellent quality-to-price ratio of its three, four and five-star resorts, with a total of more than 81,000 beds.
However, if there is one thing that sets Madrid apart, it is its wide variety of cultural and leisure activities – enough to keep guests busy from the early hours of the morning until late at night. A typical day could start with breakfast in a plaza steeped in history, and end in the small hours with a late-night flamenco session. But there is also a world of possibilities with which to fill the hours in between – so many that, if you’re just passing through the city for business, you may have to consider extending your stay, or even coming back for more.
366,605
Flights arrive in Madrid every year
176
Destinations are connected with direct flights
30
Destinations are connected with high-speed trains
Furthermore, with restaurants that cater for all tastes and budgets, Madrid is a city where you can indulge in the Spanish art of tapas, creative gourmet food or Michelin-star dining. There are plenty of tempting options to whet your appetite.
Shopping in Madrid is also appealing, given the variety and quality of items on offer. Visitors will find products for every taste and every pocket, at stores ranging from the most avant-garde establishments to traditional shops in the old part of town. In 2014, Madrid was chosen as the second-best city in Europe for shopping by the Globe Shopper Index.
Calle Serrano and its surrounding streets come together to create what is essentially one vast fashion runway. Shoe stores, jewellers and boutiques belonging to leading Spanish and international designer brands display their sophisticated creations in tempting shop windows. In Malasaña and Triball, meanwhile, visitors will find fun, original clothing – often with a dash of vintage flair – in tiny designer shops.
History of art
Nearly 100 museums and 200 historical and artistic monuments bear witness to the people who have been a part of Madrid throughout the centuries. The Art Walk, where the city’s three main museums – the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia National Museum and Art Centre, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum – are located, offers a truly unique itinerary that flows through painting and sculpture, architecture and nature.
There are also six UNESCO World Heritage Sites surrounding the city, all located within an hour’s drive, One of them is Alcalá de Henares, the city where the writer Cervantes was born in 1547 and Complutense University was founded in 1499. As a result, Alcalá de Henares is now part of the ‘path of the Spanish language’, a route comprising all the locations in Spain that have had a special influence on the Spanish language.
Madrid is a city to share – a city in which entertainment and business create a perfect balance. It is a thriving city to visit. Its uniquely cosmopolitan nature has not affected the warm, friendly and passionate character of its people.
For further information:
esmadrid.com/mcb
