istanbul-turkey

Metropolises have been going through challenging times and Istanbul was not an exception. The city has been affected largely and, as a result, has decreased in the 2016 ICCA rankings. However, from the broader perspective, Istanbul hosted several high-profile congresses in 2016, such as the World Energy Congress with 10,000 delegates; the World Investment Conference with 350 delegates; the World Humanitarian Summit with 9,000 delegates; and the World Congress of the Universal Federation of Travel Agents’ Association. Thanks to such significant congresses, new steps were taken in Istanbul for new investments and international collaborations.

In terms of international congresses, Istanbul ranked 39th in the ICCA rankings 2016. Nevertheless, Istanbul hosted 181 international congresses and meetings with 84,200 delegates and 62 of these congresses were listed by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). During the same period, Istanbul hosted 288 domestic congresses with a total number of 78,600 delegates. Besides, Istanbul has been chosen as the 8th most visited city in the world with 11.9 million international visitors in 2016.

The General Manager of Istanbul CVB, Hicran Ozbuk added: ‘Istanbul has always been a center of attraction for both leisure and business travelers. All the testimonials that we collected during the congresses in Istanbul have been highly positive and supportive. I would like to thank the international associations and organizers for their support and would also like to underline how delighted we are to welcome their congresses in our city.  As Istanbul CVB, we are fully aware that the challenging situation for Istanbul is temporary and we will bounce back. In addition, we are continuing our efforts with high motivation to make Istanbul one of the leading destinations for international conventions, and a meeting point offering a unique experience for its guests.’

Istanbul continues to host prestigious congresses in 2017 as well, just to name a few; World Petroleum Congress (WPC) with 5.000 delegates, Apimondia International Apicultural Congress with 8.000 delegates, World Conference of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) and WFNS World Congress of Neurosurgery.

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