Tourism, already
present in the mid-19th century but mainly developed in the 1950s, is also
another important activity in the city, supported by the benign climate,
beaches, historical heritage (Castillo de Santa Barbara, the Church of Santa
Mary Concatedral St. Nicholas, Old Town, Torres de la Huerta, etc.), and
leisure opportunities.
Alicante is a hub of financial activities, with the
Caja de Ahorros del
Mediterraneo (CAM) being its registered office in this city.
In Alicante administrative activities are also
important, boosted by its position as capital of the Spanish province of the
fourth largest economic output. Alicante
is the headquarters of the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
(OHIM), European Agency for the registration of trademarks, and community
designs.
The University of Alicante,
San Vicente del Raspeig, has over 33,000 students and attracts a significant
number of foreign students.
The industry employs
5.7% of the population of the municipality. Highlights of the aluminum
factories highlights are snuff (Altadis, the former factory Tabacalera was, for
several centuries, of great economic importance in the city and has recruited
more than 4,000 employees), machinery, building materials, and foodstuffs.
Within the metropolitan area, the manufacturing
activities are of great importance in the municipality of San Vicente del
Raspeig (place that has the served area for industrial expansion and decongested
the capital), where the largest factory in the town of Alicante, a cement production factory of the
multinational Cemex.
The main industrial
estates are the estate of the municipality
of The Watchtower, the Pla de la
Vallonga, the Agua Amarga, and the industrial area of Florida.
One of the pointers in
the economy is the Port of Alicante, Alicante.
The port is in full expansion phase and is among the 10 most important in terms
of freight transport. Currently, some 15,000 people work directly or indirectly
in these facilities.
Historically, the Port of Alicante has been closely linked to the
fate of the city. Indeed, much of trade in Alicante has a point of departure or arrival
port. The most important moment of this element occurred in the 17th century,
when it began to trade with America
and became the third largest Spanish port.
The economy of the
city of Alicante
is based mainly in the service sector, which employed 85.7% of the workforce in
2007. Tourism has played an important role in the development of the city.
Among the economic activities performed in Alicante, the main
activity is the manner of trade, which historically has a backup port. The
business activities of the city have great power of attraction for most of the
province and reach the heart of Vinalopo to Almansa. Currently, the city of Alicante is the fifth largest nationally in terms of
trade, only surpassed by cities such as Madrid,
Barcelona, Valencia,
and Seville.
