• October 17, 2022

The 20 most popular event destinations around the world

The 20 most popular event destinations around the world

The 20 most popular event destinations around the world 1024 683 micebook.

Las Vegas, Madrid, Bogota and Tokyo are among the top destinations for events in key regions across the world, according to American Express Meeting & Events’ 2023 Global Meetings & Events Forecast.

The report, based on a survey of 580 meetings and events professionals from around the world and interviews with industry leaders, predicts that regional and domestic travel will continue to be preferred for the rest of 2022 while planners wait to see how travel restrictions and delays in securing passports and visas play out.

According to the report, locations that would normally be considered leisure travel destinations have seen big bumps in numbers of meetings and events and are expected to continue to be popular in 2023.

It said that the increased space and room availability in larger tourist destinations coupled with their more frequent air service and higher staffing levels make cities like Las Vegas and Madrid particularly attractive to planners who are booking events with short lead times and therefore fewer options.

The report tanks the top five meeting and event destinations in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific, based on client data from the American Express Meetings & Events Meetings Insight platform (between September 2021-August 2022).

North America

  1. Las Vegas, Nevada
  2. Orlando, Florida
  3. New York, New York
  4. Dallas, Texas
  5. Atlanta, Georgia

Europe

  1. Madrid, Spain
  2. Barcelona, Spain
  3. London, UK
  4. Paris, France
  5. Manchester, UK

Latin America

  1. Bogota, Colombia
  2. Mexico City, Mexico
  3. Cartagena, Colombia
  4. Buenos Aires, Argentina
  5. Cancun, Mexico

Asia Pacific

  1. Tokyo, Japan
  2. Osaka, Japan
  3. Sydney, Australia
  4. Seoul, South Korea
  5. Taipei, Taiwan

*The report notes that the top 5 meeting destinations in Asia Pacific reflect the impact of restrictions in the region over the last year, with Singapore and China not making the list.

Overall, the 72-page report paints a positive picture for the future, with two-thirds of survey respondents predicting that the number of in-person events will return to pre-pandemic levels within one to two years.

“The industry is experiencing an unprecedented recovery, and all signs point to a busy 2023. More meetings and events, more attendees, higher budgets, and higher rates are all expected,” it states. “Amid all the action, a new focus on partnerships, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and technology is also underway. Meetings and events are back, and the way they are planned is evolving.”

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