Madrid, the best meetings tourism destination in the world for the fourth consecutive year

The city of Madrid has consolidated its leading position as the best meetings tourism destination in the world. The capital has just received the “World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2022” award at the 29^th edition of the World Travel Awards which took place in Oman. This is the fourth year running that Madrid has won this accolade.

These important annual international awards reward excellence in different key tourism sectors and segments, both at a regional and global level. The professionals eligible to vote in the awards have once again placed their faith in Madrid, which entered the race as favourite ahead of other major destinations in this category, such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Las Vegas, Paris, Seoul and Singapore. This represents yet another important achievement in this field, following its recognition last October as the best meetings tourism destination in Europe for the fifth consecutive time at the same awards ceremony. 

A tailored offer, quality and innovation; the keys to success

Highlighting the city of Madrid’s excellent standing as a benchmark destination for meetings tourism, the Councillor for Tourism, Almudena Maíllo, pointed out that the city’s positioning is due to “its ability to adapt to the demands of the industry’s representatives and managers, understanding their needs and providing them with the best possible specialised offering”. Maíllo went on to say that the services provided by the sector are of enormous quality, professionalism and innovation, “factors for which it undoubtedly deserves this award”.

Maíllo reiterated that the city’s positioning also has a lot to do with the work of Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB), the city council agency with more than 200 members that specialises in meetings tourism. Representatives of Madrid’s events and meetings sector actively work on initiatives to promote the city, all of which are aligned with the city council’s Strategic Plan for Madrid 2020-2023. At the service of organisers of events, meetings or incentive trips, MCB seeks to ensure that each and every event held in the city runs as smoothly as possible, and to promote the Spanish capital as a city for meetings.

Overcoming challenges

The Councillor for Tourism explained that the city itself and its tourism sector have evolved over the last few years in order to overcome the challenges that the industry has had to face; working and striving to improve in such areas as connectivity, infrastructure and accommodation, through the incorporation of more hotel beds and the arrival of major international chains in the capital. What’s more, Madrid boasts a unique range of additional offerings which provide professional travellers with one-of-a-kind cultural and gastronomic experiences that simply cannot be found in any other destination—a differentiating feature that enhances the city’s competitiveness.

Madrid, a pioneer in sustainability and legacy

Through MCB, the city council’s Tourism Department is also strongly committed to this tourism segment which is of enormous importance to the capital due to its significant economic impact on the entire value chain, and to its seasonal nature, which encourages the flow of travellers throughout the year. Madrid has been a trailblazer in incorporating key aspects such as sustainability and legacy into its meetings tourism strategy.

A shining example of this is the creation of the PLUS (Platform for Legacy with Us) tool, which has been designed to help organisers who choose the capital to manage their events in an efficient and sustainable way, minimising their impact, facilitating compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) 2030 agenda, and leaving a positive and long-lasting footprint on the city.

Thanks to initiatives like these, Madrid has become a favoured destination in which to hold professional meetings, as revealed in the latest annual “Global Meetings & Events Forecast”, a report compiled by American Express Meetings & Events. The capital tops this ranking—in which 580 industry professionals from 23 countries participate—as the most popular city in Europe in which to hold events in 2023.

More accolades for Madrid’s meetings tourism

The World Travel Awards are not the only awards that Madrid’s meetings tourism sector has received this year. The capital was recognised as Europe’s best MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Fairs) destination at the World MICE Awards 2022—this is the third year in a row that the city has won this award. The World MICE Awards measure the standards of quality and excellence of the companies and organisations that operate within this sector, and mention should also be made of Madrid’s very own IFEMA MADRID (Best Convention Centre in Europe) and Cititravel DMC (Best MICE Organiser in Europe), which also received awards.

The capital also has the honour of having the best International Convention Bureau, a recognition obtained by Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB) at the Smart Stars Awards. Madrid has once again won this award, which it has held since 2019, thanks to the votes of the readers of Smart Meetings, the leading meetings industry publisher.