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Madrid is the best meetings tourism destination in the world
Madrid is the best meetings tourism destination in the world. This is not only my opinion, but Madrid has won the “World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2022” award at the 29th edition of the World MICE Awards.
Remember that the initials MICE refer to four concepts: Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, and Exhibitions, which make up the group of activities that form part of this type of business tourism.
The Councillor for Tourism has explained that the city and its tourism sector have had to face challenges in order to overcome them, such as connectivity, infrastructure, and accommodation, as well as offering professional travelers with cultural and gastronomic experiences.
Four years in a row
It is the fourth consecutive year that Madrid has won this distinction, ahead of other major destinations in the category such as Las Vegas, Paris, Singapore, Dubai, and Seoul.
This shows the commitment to the promotion of the city and its quick adaptability to new circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Leading multinationals choose Madrid for their conventions and international events.
The Councillor for Tourism, Almudena Maíllo, has pointed out that the city’s excellent positioning is due to its ability to adapt to the demands of the industry’s representatives and managers, understanding their needs and providing them with the best possible specialized offering.
IFEMA: The Best Convention Center
IFEMA Madrid has also been recognized as the best convention center in Europe.
IFEMA Madrid hosts more than 800 international fairs, seminars, concerts, and other recreational events every year, including FITUR, ARCO, and the Madrid Fashion Week. Almost 4 million people attend each year to the 240,000 square meters of exhibit space, 13 exhibition halls, and 2 convention centers.
IFEMA is a place to connect, promote the use of new technologies to generate experiences, and take sustainability actions that affect the improvement of the environment.
Madrid covers all the needs of business travelers, including a wide variety of hotels for all budgets near the airport and close to the IFEMA convention center.
Madrid Tourism Strategic Plan
Business travel is an important factor for the local economy, but it can have a negative effect on our environment.
That is why Madrid is also strongly committed to sustainable business travel and legacy through the work of the Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB), which works to promote the city as a city for meetings tourism.
The city council’s Strategic Plan for Madrid 2020-2023 seeks to ensure that each event held in the city runs as smoothly as possible and to facilitate compliance with the UN’s 2030 agenda.
Sustainable tourism takes full account of current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts to meet the needs of visitors, industry, the environment, and communities. Sustainable tourism activities prioritize respect for the natural, cultural, and social environment, and aim to define the values of a given community.
Hotels in Madrid are increasingly committed to sustainability. For example, ARTIEM Hotels have been certified by B Lab after fulfilling the highest standards on social and environmental performance, transparency, and corporate responsibility.
Safety is a priority
Madrid is one of the safest cities in the world.
Madrid has exceptionally good living standards and levels of personal safety, similar to other European cities. Madrid is ranked 10th in terms of personal safety in The Economist’s 2021 Safe Cities Index.
People’s personal security takes into account their vulnerability to crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters, and economic instability. The index considers the frequency of violent and property crime, the potential for civil upheaval, levels of corruption, and other indices evaluating wealth disparity.
Moreover, Spain is currently ranked 31st on the World Peace Index. It compares favorably to other nations including the United States (122), Mexico (140), France (55), and the United Kingdom (33).
Top-rated gastronomy in the world
Business travelers tend to eat out most days. Due to the high quality and variety of the ingredients used, Spanish cuisine is among the greatest and healthiest in the world, as you are likely aware.
Due to its flawless fusion of traditional and cutting-edge cooking styles, Spanish cuisine is well-known around the world. And it is much more than Iberian ham, Valencian paella, and tapas.
One or more Michelin Stars have been given to more than 200 restaurants. Some Spanish chefs, including Dabiz Muñoz, Ferran Adriá, Juan Mari Arzak, Martin Berasategui, and Angel León, should sound familiar to you.