Portugal is the 9th destination with the most events held in 2023 - ICCA ranking

The ICCA – International Congress and Convention Association ranking, regarding the performance of different global destinations in this type of tourism, brought good news for Portugal. As a destination for this product, Portugal ranked 9th worldwide and 7th in Europe.

In the city ranking, the biggest highlight was Lisbon, ranked 3rd in the world and 2nd in Europe, only surpassed by Paris. It is also worth noting the presence of three other Portuguese destinations in the top 100 of European cities: Porto, 18th; Coimbra, 81st; and Cascais, 90th.

Growth Prospects for the MICE Segment

In 2022, considering its four components (business meetings, incentives, conferences, and trade fairs), the MICE segment reached an estimated global value close to 600 billion US dollars, with projections indicating it could surpass 2.3 trillion US dollars by 2032, registering a CAGR of 11.6% over the period considered.

Economic development is a key factor for the success of the MICE segment. A strong and growing economy creates a favorable business environment, which in turn leads to greater investment in events and programs across the various aspects of MICE.

The continued growth of the MICE segment requires both public and private investment from the tourism industry. As a result of the increasing demand for business meetings, conventions, and conferences, and aiming to maximize the economic benefits derived from these activities, many destinations have been developing robust infrastructures capable of hosting them, empowering destinations and putting them on the radar of businesses and MICE event organizers.

The future evolution of this segment will be shaped by some of the trends already emerging, such as the growing adoption of sustainable and eco-friendly practices; personalization and experience-based tourism; digital transformation, with an emphasis on visitor autonomy for self-check-in, immersive technologies, virtual reality, and augmented reality; multi-format and hybrid events.