PRAGUE VS. ISTANBUL
A current comparison of the closest competitors on the 2015 ICCA scale following the Kongres travelogue methodology – meetologues.
| PRAGUE | ISTANBUL |
|---|---|
| Population: 2.156.097 | Population: 14.657.434 |
| ICCA Country and City rankings 2015: 11th place, 123 meetings | ICCA Country and City rankings 2015: 8th place, 148 meetings |
| Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016: 174,13 | Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2016: 124,72 |
| Sunshine hours: 1,668 per year | Sunshine hours: 2,026 per year |
| Global peace index: 4,25 / 1341 | Global peace index: 2,15 / 2363 |
| The spirit of Central Europe is in the best way caught in this beautiful city, which is an excellent convention destination because of its cosmopolitanism, multiculturalism, liveliness and a tireless nightlife. What is the secret of the Prague congress tourism? What are they doing differently? It is a combination of circumstances and wise development policies. Elegantly and sustainably they are working to be among the top ten European congress cities. The story is reminiscent of Skoda, of which the Czechs are very proud and is one of the oldest auto- motive brands in Europe. Reputable, solid and reliable pre-war limousines were after the war changed by cars that were behind the times. Today, Skoda shines again and again puts the Czech manufacturer where it once was. The same can be said for the meetings industry, where Prague began to seriously falter against the locations top of the European league. If we look at the position of Prague regionally, Prague will not take primacy in the region over Vienna, but it certainly has all the conditions to remain for a long time the first congress destination among East European capitals. | Throughout history Istanbul has been at the crossroads of civilisations and some sort of a meeting point. It offers its congress product through seductive orientalism. Congress facilities are too many to set out here, but the city is easily capable of hosting the largest congress events. The main advantage of Istanbul is that it reorganised its meetings industry and took advantage of its strategic location at the crossroads between Asia and Europe. This is further complemented by exceptional air accessibility, since 50 airlines fly into the city daily. Cosmopolitan Istanbul has come back in full shine and has become one of the top global congress cities. The destination is back in the limelight and is the new global success story. We believe that the meetings industry of Istanbul will be the new congress success story, for it has already fulfilled almost every condition and at the same time it is still relatively inexpensive. |
| Prague meeting flashpoints: | Istanbul meeting flashpoints: |
| 1. Hotel Yalta - a modernist hotel | 1. Hilton Bomonti - one of Europe's largest convention hotels, which is setting new Hilton standards here |
| 2. Dragonboating - rowing competition with dragon boats on the Vltava river | 2. Basilica Cistern - unusal gala diner in the largest underground cistern in the world |
| 3. Tower Park Prague - crazy venue with a beautiful view of the city | 3. Tea time a la Turca - a memorable enjoyment of drinking tea is unforgetable experience for your conference guests |
| 4. Beer Tour - meet typical Prague pubs with a century of tradition | 4. Club scene at Bosphorus - a club with the most beauutiful views of the Bosphours Reina, Sortie, Suad and Super Club |
| 5. Driving with tanks - the taste of socialist times for real men | 5. Santralistanbul - a special venue in the restored electrical central |
| STAY: Four Seasons Prague | STAY: Ciragan Palace, Kempinski Istanbul |
Prague; FINAL MARK: 4,64/5
Istanbul: FINAL MARK: 4,53/5
PRAGUE: 4,64/5
FROM Meeting planners, FOR Meeting planners
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