Istanbul ranks as 7th congress city in the world

Istanbul ranks seventh across world cities in convention tourism and is marching toward securing a place in the top five, according to the top executive of the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau, or ICVB, on Tuesday.

Istanbul ranked as the sixth top destination for convention tourism, attracting a total of 46,374 visitors last year with 109 congresses.

As the city becomes a highly preferred congress city, the demand for decent hotels will rise, according to the ICVB manager. “Nearly 40 new hotel investments will be completed in two years.” Noting that the number of five-star hotels meets the demand for now, she said, “We will need more three- and four-star hotel investments.”

Istanbul is a candidate city to host the AIDS Congress in 2014 with the participation of approximately 25,000 people from all around the world, she said.

Istanbul was able to host only 23 congresses in 1999 but hosted a total of 80 congresses by the end of 2009, according to figures from the International Congress and Convention Association. Hosting 109 congresses by the end of last year, the city has climbed from 17th to seventh in the top destination rankings.

Author: istanbul

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