The wireless industry will be trekking to Barcelona for seven more years to come. The GSMA announced today that Barcelona has been selected as the Mobile World Capital from 2012 to 2018.

For those planning to attend Mobile World Congress next year, we already knew we’d be going to Barcelona. But for the past 18 months, it wasn’t clear where it would be held after that. The latest short list had possible venues of Barcelona or Milan, Munich or Paris, all of which were vying for the title.

The GSMA says the selection for the Mobile World Capital – a bigger deal than just a host city for the annual trade show because it involves additional elements such as permanent exhibitions and festivals – was based on many criteria and took into consideration all aspects of what a city can offer.

I wasn’t privy to the evaluation process, which started with 30 cities, narrowed to six and then the last four finalists, but it’s nice to know the selection committee’s final answer. It was exciting to think about going to another city after these past years in Barcelona, but it was also hard to picture it in Milan, Munich or Paris. (Probably because I’ve never been to these cities.)

Some folks are going to be disappointed in the final selection. Barcelona isn’t exactly known as the most secure place in the world. It hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve heard many stories about stolen laptops, sometimes right off a shoulder as an attendee was walking down a boulevard outside the Fira Montjuïc. You can’t miss the voice over the speaker system at MWC warning you to remove your badge after you leave so you’re not telegraphing to everyone outside that you’re an easy target for nefarious characters.

I’d have to say that overall, my experiences in Barcelona have been more good than bad. After attending MWC there for a number of years, I know the general vicinity and learned to check the bus number before hopping aboard lest I take an unplanned tour of the city only to discover it is the “finale” trip of the day, coming to a stop in the hills that are far, far away from my destination. (I only made that mistake once.) I have learned to carry a written copy of my destinations with me at all times, especially if I end up needing a cab, for my Spanish is woefully poor. The food is good, and the coffee even better. The mass transit system is (now) fairly easy to learn and most of the business owners are hospitable.

The biggest gripe I have are the stratospheric rates the hotels charge during the week of the show. It’s no secret; you can easily compare and contrast the rates to the days before and after the show. (Is it any wonder the city of Barcelona expects the economic impact of being the Mobile World Capital could reach 3.5 billion euro over the seven years? That’s not Monopoly money we’re bringing to town.) I suppose such blatant rate hikes could occur in another city as well.

I’m sure a lot of important things were considered during the decision-making process. As for me, I’ll be happy to continue going where more than 60,000 show attendees went this past February. I’m not sure how easy it will be to get around MWC come 2013 because the main venue changes to the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, away from the city center where it has been located. But maybe this means more opportunity to get a hotel closer to the beach. That, and a cappuccino should do the trick.