Italy ranks as the third country for event and congress tourism

29-06-23

Italy is one of the destinations that has grown the most in the business and convention tourism segment in the last year. In the latest ranking of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) it has been placed in the top three positions worldwide in 2022 after the United States and Spain.

The transalpine country hosts more than 43,000 events per year, with almost 30 million participants per year and 43 million overnight stays. In economic terms, the country spends 6 billion euros on business travellers coming to Italy.

Rome, Milan, Florence and Naples are the four top cities for MICE tourism, but any part of the country is perfect for an event or congress, given the number of palaces, villas, castles, hotels and residences available.

In terms of infrastructure, Italy has more than 13,000 meeting and congress rooms, a network of 4,000 venues and congress centres, 31 international airports and a high-speed train that connects the main cities and the 20 peninsular regions of Italy.

All this combined with its years of history and tradition, its culture, its museums, its heritage with 58 World Heritage Sites, its nature, its craftsmanship.

To showcase Italy's MICE muscle, the Italian Official Tourism Organisation, ENIT, held a meeting attended by more than 185 Spanish companies from the tourism sector (travel agencies, tour operators, incentive and events companies). The meeting was attended by 25 leading firms from the MICE and luxury tourism sector in Italy.

Campania was the guest region. The region, whose capital is Naples, a land of ancient culture, where you can discover a whole world beyond Naples, Pompeii and Vesuvius. Campania is made up of open-air spas, villages perched on cliffs, islands such as Capri and exquisite gastronomy with its wines, cheeses and liqueurs.

Naples has an international airport that connects more than 100 national destinations and a high-speed train that links it to the major cities of Italy. It also has the most important congress centre in the south of Italy.