The ICCA published the country and city rankings for 2008, which identifies the most popular destinations for MICE. Budapest again reaching the sixth position!
The International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) has published the country and city rankings for 2008. According to the list USA (507 meetings) and Germany (402 meetings) are the most popular destinations for international meetings. These two countries managed to keep the first and second place since 2004. They are followed by Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Canada and the Netherlands.
Interestingly, no US city managed to get to the top twenty cities. On the other hand Athens, Buenos Aires, Sao Pualo and Tokyo have made their fist appearance in the top 20. The top ten cities for international association meetings in 2008 were Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, Singapore, Berlin, Budapest, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Seoul and Lisbon.
The ICCA ranking is based on a survey of 7,475 qualifying events that took place in 2008. The events were organized by international associations, take place on a regular basis and rotate between a minimum of three countries. The association sees its rankings as a tool that should help to identify new destinations for meetings.
As to only post-communist central European city, Budapest has kept its sixth position with 95 conferences matching the ICCA"s criteria. Hungary and especially its capital seem to be an ideal destination for MICE. The Hungarian National Tourist Office recorded a significant growth in the MICE sector. There are number of venues suitable for various kinds of events. In the capital there is e.g. the Novotel Budapest Congress, a 4 star hotel connected to the Budapest Congress and World Trade Center with 19 conference rooms. Outside of the capital there are other interesting places suitable for the MICE sector. Nevertheless, most of international conferences take place in Budapest.
Top 10 MICE Countries:
1. USA (507 meetings)
2. Germany (402 meetings)
3. Spain (347 meetings)
4. France (334 meetings)
5. United Kingdom (322 meetings)
6. Italy (296 meetings)
7. Brazil (254 meetings)
8. Japan (247 meetings)
9. Canada (231 meetings)
10. Netherlands (227 meetings)
Top 10 MICE Cities:
1.-2. Paris (139 meetings)
1.-2. Vienna (139 meetings)
3. Barcelona (136 meeting)
4. Singapore (118 meetings)
5. Berlin (100 meetings)
6. Budapest (95 meetings)
7. Amsterdam (89 meetings)
8. Stockholm (87 meetings)
9. Seoul (84 meetings)
10. Lisbon (83 meetings)
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