Amsterdam -- The United States was the top country for international meetings in 2006, for the third consecutive year, and Germany was number two, according to the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA).
Vienna was the top city for international meetings, the same as in 2005, and Paris jumped four places to take the number-two spot. The rest of the top 10 destinations for 2006, in order, were the following: Singapore, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Seoul, Prague, and Copenhagen and Lisbon in a tie. The last three cities made the top 10 list for the first time.
Rankings cover meetings and conventions organized by international associations that take place regularly and rotate between a minimum of three countries.
The United States served as the host country for 414 international meetings, with 334 meetings for Germany. Britain followed, with 279 meetings; France, with 269 meetings; and Spain, with 266 meetings.
The top 10 countries were rounded out by, in order, Italy, Brazil, Austria, Australia, and The Netherlands.
ICCA researchers identified 5,838 events that took place in 2006, a rise of 523 events over 2005. Partly, the increased number of meetings reflects the strength of the market and partly to a record number of 227 ICCA members that sent their event calendar information, thus identifying new events.
The full report will be available in June free to ICCA members at the organization's website, www.iccaworld.com.
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