Porto is the second most attractive European city for events

Porto is already the second most attractive European city for events, among those that are not capital cities of their respective countries. This is revealed by the ICCA – International Congress and Convention Association ranking, the organisation that annually identifies the most attractive destinations for the so-called Meeting Industry.

In the new ICCA ranking, Porto has climbed four places and is now the second European city. On top of all this, it is also the leading destination among the cities that belong to the European Convention & Visitors Bureau collaborative network.

In addition to Porto, also Braga, Guimarães and Matosinhos are already showing their competitiveness in this segment and have moved up from modest positions to somewhat relevant places, with Braga in particular climbing 117 places.

A great lever for tourism

Those responsible for tourism in the region are pleased with the significant increases in the ICCA ranking and are determined 'to maintain their commitment to finding business opportunities in this segment, as well as participating in, attracting and supporting MICE [Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions] events', the President of the Regional Entity Porto Convention Bureau (TPNP) underlines.

'We have no doubt that this is a great lever for tourism, due to its multiplying effect on other tourist segments, but also because it helps to boost other economic sectors', Luís Pedro Martins emphasises, adding that a great deal of work has been done for the 'capacity-building of municipalities and companies in the opportunities that this product represents, believing that the region will still grow a lot in this segment'.

At world level, and also including capital cities, Lisbon was the best-placed Portuguese city, in third place behind Paris and Singapore.