With 154 congresses, Vienna occupies 1st place worldwide in the newly published ICCA ranking of globally held international congress events in 2024. The city has climbed back to the top of the world rankings from 4th place the previous year. Lisbon (153 congresses) and Singapore (144) are in 2nd and 3rd place, followed by Barcelona (142), Prague (131), Paris (124), Seoul (124), Bangkok (115), Rome (114), and Athens (111).
Norbert Kettner, CEO of the Vienna Tourist Board, said: “Vienna has once again proven its leadership position in an extremely competitive environment. Alongside Vienna’s rich cultural life, congresses are a major strength of our city’s tourism sector. They drive traffic to meeting venues and accommodation providers and bring value creation and year-round jobs to the visitor economy.”
AUSTRIA RANKS 16TH WORLDWIDE
The ICCA also provides insights into national-level performance: With 233 congresses, Austria ranks 16th globally. The list of countries is led by the USA (709), Italy (635), and Spain (536). According to ICCA’s counting method, two-thirds (66%) of all congresses held in Austria took place in Vienna.
Anita Paic, Head of the Vienna Convention Bureau, added: “This achievement highlights the excellent cooperation of all players in Vienna’s meetings industry – from congress centres and the hospitality sector to agencies and joint legacy projects. Not to forget our clients, whom we were able to attract to Vienna, and their continued trust in the meeting destination of Vienna. We see this latest success as a mandate to continue working with full commitment on Vienna’s future as a meeting metropolis. Currently, around 250 bids for meetings through 2038 are underway worldwide.”
MORE THAN 6,000 MEETINGS IN VIENNA
In total, Vienna hosted 6,619 congresses and corporate meetings last year, exceeding the previous record from 2023 by 3%. The approximately 670,000 participants in 2024 generated 1.9 million overnight stays, representing a 26% increase in overnight stays. Their average stay of three (2.98) nights was significantly higher than the average Vienna guest at 2.3 nights. The added value generated by meetings in Vienna amounted to 1.32 billion euros, benefiting all of Austria with 365 million euros in taxes and 23,500 year-round jobs.
