Barcelona, the fourth best city in the world for hosting conferences

BarcelonaBarcelona is the fourth city in the world that hosts the most congresses, only after Vienna, Lisbon, and Singapore. This is evident from the data released this Tuesday by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). The attractiveness of Barcelona is on the rise. According to Barcelona Turisme, it has gained a spot on this list compared to last year: it has moved from fifth to fourth place. 125,826 delegates participated, with an approximate economic return of €360 million. In terms of money, London is in second place, followed by Singapore, Madrid, and Vienna. €288 million.

The fact that Barcelona is at the top of this ranking is nothing new: it has been in the top 5 congress destinations for 24 consecutive years. medical conferences, with 56. In terms of technology, Vienna is the preferred city for conferences, ahead of Tokyo, Athens, Prague, and Barcelona.

It should be noted, however, that this ranking does not include fixed conferences with their permanent headquarters in Barcelona, ​​​​such as the MWC or ISE, but only international conferences that rotate in at least three cities. Taking this criterion into account, Barcelona closed 2024 with a total of 1,968 meetings, including conferences and conventions. Of these, 1,410 were corporate meetings and 558 were conferences in sectors such as medicine (27.3%), academia (16.3%), and science (15.4%).

Estimated impact of around 1.384 billion

In terms of the number of delegates, Barcelona welcomed 734,818—including corporate meetings and conferences—a 26% increase compared to 2023. The majority (85.6%) were international. According to Barcelona Turisme, the economic impact of the meetings sector reached €1.384 billion in 2024, representing a return to pre-pandemic revenues.

Barcelona's Deputy Mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, emphasized that all these figures underscore the City Council's commitment to economic diversification and the promotion of strategic economic sectors. For his part, Jordi Clos, president of the executive committee of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium, emphasized the strategic importance of Barcelona's congresses, as they represent a solid tourism sector, highly attractive both in terms of economic recovery and visitor profile. He therefore called for their preservation and promotion. Likewise, both highlighted the importance of the expansion of the Fira de Barcelona venue on Gran Via in Hospitalet de Llobregat for business tourism.