The most recent ranking of ICCA — International Congress and Convention Associationconfirms Portugal's status among the top destinations for international events and congresses.
· Portugal ranks 9th in the world ranking of countries, as in 2023, with a total of 290 congressescarried out, and maintains 7th position in the European ranking;
· Lisbon regains the 2nd world position, just behind Vienna for a single event, also maintaining 2nd place in Europe - position it has held since 2019;
· About Portoalso strengthens its international presence, emerging in 34th place in the world rankinge 22nd in the European ranking, preparing to receive, from 9 to 12 November 2025, the prestigious 64th Congress of ICCA;
· At the global level, the USA leads among countries, followed by Italy, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Finally, the ICCA reserved space to address some global trends highlighted:
· A Latin America and the Middle Eastcontinue to grow as emerging regions, showing consistent growth between 2022 and 2024;
· A Asia-Pacific regionis increasingly competitive, with 13 countries among the top 50 destinations in the world;
· Me Africa, there is a growing interest in strengthening infrastructures and capacitiesreception of events.
The importance of measuring the economic impact on GDP of destinations that host international events
Destinations that invest in international congresses and events show significant and sustainable economic gains. See some examples:
Barcelona: Catalonia registered a GDP growth of 3,6% (above Spain, 3,2%, and the EU average, 0,8%), with 142 events and more than 125 thousand participants, resulting in a return of 360 million.
Singapore: GDP growth was 4,4%, driven by 144 events and 93 thousand participants, generating a return of 290 million.
Measuring the impact is essential for cities that intend to stand out in the international market of congresses and major international events. Concrete data, help to substantiate decision-making and allow objectively evaluating results. They also show that the impact goes far beyond the numbers with the generation and sharing of knowledge, the promotion of scientific advances, the emergence of new economic sectors and above all with the strengthening of local communities.
