ICE and iGB Affiliate contribute strongly to the Barcelona economy

• iGB Affiliate and ICE Barcelona continue to drive steady results for the Catalan economy
• The 2026 edition generated €255m in economic impact locally
• Stuart Hunter welcomed the results, noting the 34% increase year-on-year

WorldGaming has released an Economic Impact Study conducted by the independent advisory firm Equimore, looking into the economic impact driven by ICE and iGB Affiliate Barcelona.

According to the report, the 2026 editions of the event generated €255m in direct, indirect, induced, and fiscal contributions, and ended up supporting 7,087 direct and indirect jobs.

The figure represents a substantial 34% gain on the results posted in 2025, when the figure stood at €191m.

The study pointed out that visitor spend generated €129m, the largest channel bringing in direct and indirect output across hotels, food, beverage, transport, shopping, and leisure.

Another €86m was contributed by exhibitors and sponsors through activities such as stand building, hospitality, marketing, and new business opportunities for Catalan companies.

Stuart Hunter, WorldGaming Managing Director, had this to add:

"The economic impact was created by 734 exhibitors and a record 62,988 unique visitors, 53,924 of whom travelled to Barcelona from outside Spain, staying on average 2.7 nights.

"The overwhelmingly international, non-local audience filled Barcelona’s hotels and restaurants during what is the city’s low season; as a consequence, the visitor spend is additional and does not represent a displacement of summer visitors," Hunter added.

Putting the €255m total into context, I’m extremely proud that after just two editions at the Fira ICE/iGB, Affiliate Barcelona is already ranked alongside top global events that are hosted by the city," the MD wrapped up.

You can find out more about the upcoming 2027 edition of the event here.

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