Dubai Named Among Top 10 Cities for International Meetings

Dubai has been ranked as one of the top 10 destinations for international meetings, according to the latest edition of the International Meetings Statistics Report published last week by Union of International Associations (UIA).

The report ranked 1,157 cities globally based on the total number of international meetings that took place during the year. Dubai was in 14th position in the 2015 edition but climbed up to the 10th spot with a total of 180 meetings taking place in 2016, reflecting a growth of 24 per cent in comparison to 2015.

Issam Kazim, chief executive officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said: "With these latest UIA rankings it is once again clear that Dubai is now not only the regional leader in the sector, but also a major destination on the global stage for business events. We will continue to strengthen our business events offering, and strive towards transforming Dubai into a global knowledge hub."

Dubai is the only city in the Middle East to have claimed a position in the top 25, further underlining its status as the region’s number one destination for international meetings and conferences.

The total number of meetings assessed includes those that are organised by international organisations, as well as ones organised by national organisations or branches but with significant international character. The city’s status of being a premier destination to host business events reaffirms its position in the top ten ranks. In 2012, Dubai ranked 26th with a total of 76 international meetings that took place in the city. Dubai's business events offering has since evolved; the city's world-class infrastructure and global connectivity adds to the overall appeal resulting in a 138 per cent increase in international meetings hosted since 2012.

Steen Jakobsen, director, Dubai Business Events, said: "Dubai's business events industry has undoubtedly grown over the past decade, and we are very proud that the city is being regarded as one of the top 10 international meetings destinations by UIA, competing with over 1,100 worldwide destinations for the spot. We have worked very hard to achieve this status, with strong support from public and private partners, including Dubai World Trade Centre, hotels, Emirates Airlines, flydubai and other meetings industry suppliers, and are aiming to continue enhancing our offering to remain competitive and further propel Dubai's ranking in the years to come."

Academy of International Business Annual Meeting, Fédération Internationale des Déménageurs Internationaux (FIDI) Annual Conference, Annual Congress of the Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology, and the International Primary Immunodeficiencies Congress – are some of the major events that Dubai is set to host this year.