World MICE Awards: Lisbon voted Best MICE Destination in Europe
25/03/2024
Lisbon was voted Europe's Best MICE Destination for the first time at the fourth edition of the World MICE Awards, which took place in Berlin, Germany, in March.
The World MICE Awards, which celebrate excellence in the MICE industry, is the 'sister' event of the World Travel Awards, internationally acclaimed as the 'Oscars of Tourism'. At the event where Lisbon was voted Europe's Best MICE Destination in 2023, the 31st European edition of the World Travel Awards was also held, at which Lisbon was also voted Europe's Best Urban Destination in 2024.
So far this year, 2,251 events have been registered in Lisbon, attracting more than 592,178 participants from all over the world. "The privileged location, modern and versatile infrastructures, as well as excellent accessibility, combined with the transversality of cultural experiences, have made Lisbon an unavoidable choice in Europe for organising events," Turismo de Lisboa said in a statement, recalling that since 2019 Lisbon has been ranked 2nd in the ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) world ranking, having previously been consecutively in the Top 10.
Turismo de Lisboa considers that the MICE segment "plays a significant role in Lisbon's economy, making a significant contribution to tourism and the city's economic development, particularly in terms of revenue generation and job creation". In 2022 and 2023, the Lisbon Tourism Association has made over 1 million euros available to attract and support congresses, corporate events and association events.
The prospects for organising international events in Lisbon are promising. "We continue to work to attract the attention of international event organisers and participants. Lisbon stands out not only for its unique DNA, but also for the professionalism of its companies, its excellent hotels, accessibility, organisational capacity, cultural offer and the widest range of possible experiences.