Portugal continues to be a favourite destination for congresses and conventions, coming in at 9th worldwide and 7th in European rankings. In terms of its cities, Porto comes in 23rd, having climbed four places in world rankings, and 18th in the European table, having climbed eight. Lisbon remains in the top three, coming second only to Paris on a European level and third worldwide, after Singapore.
These rankings were compiled by the International Congress and Convention Association and published in the latest edition of the ICCA Business Analytics 2023 Country & City Rankings.
The Portugal Events Incentive System has significantly contributed to these results, having come into force in April 2023 to attract and promote the holding of both charity and corporate events in Portugal.
In 2023, this support line received 175 applications for charity and corporate events, a segment for which approximately one million euros of funding has been awarded to date. Turismo de Portugal’s financial support mechanism, the success of which can be seen in the significant demand from companies, favoured events that, thanks to their positioning, visibility and international image, would contribute to the qualification of the tourist experience or development of the economy, having proven their relevance to the sustainability of the tourism sector.
The ICCA's research team analysed all meetings identified by its members, resulting in a report covering over 10,000 meetings that took place in the 2023 calendar year.
The ICCA report focuses primarily on face-to-face meetings, as this is the main driver of the events industry, which is based on knowledge-sharing, human interaction and economic impact.
