ES Madrid: Madrid, sixth consecutive year World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination

• The World Travel Awards are widely regarded as the most important accolades in the travel industry
• Almudena Maíllo, Madrid City Council’s Councillor for Tourism, accepted the award, which recognises Madrid’s excellence in the MICE sector
• The capital’s success can be attributed to its excellent image around the world, the professionalism of the sector and the public-private partnership led by Madrid Convention Bureau
• In March, the city won the equivalent European award for the seventh year in a row

Madrid has been named the World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2024 at the prestigious World Travel Awards. It has now won this accolade six years in a row, confirming that the city’s tourism industry excels in hosting and organising professional meetings and international events. Almudena Maíllo, Madrid City Council’s Councillor for Tourism, accepted the award at a gala ceremony held last night in Madeira, Portugal.

Madrid claimed the award, surpassing other nominated destinations such as Singapore, Paris, Las Vegas, Sydney, Doha and Dubai. This sixth consecutive victory now brings Madrid level with Las Vegas for the most wins in the award’s history. Last March, Madrid also secured the equivalent European title for the seventh year running.

Maíllo emphasised that “this award is a recognition of the people of Madrid and of a city that inspires confidence throughout the world for its safety, mobility, cleanliness, and cultural and leisure offerings.” The Councillor added that “it is also a recognition of an industry that is doing its utmost to make Madrid a leading destination in the MICE sector.” She stressed that “this tourism sector is very positive for the people of Madrid, generating a direct and indirect economic impact of 2.327 and 5.238 billion euro in the city.”

Madrid’s success in the MICE sector

One of the main reasons behind this accolade is the excellent image Madrid enjoys all around the world. According to the Tourist Perception Survey carried out by the Madrid Destino Tourist Intelligence Centre in 2023, Madrid scored 8.6 for overall satisfaction, with 9.2 for heritage and cultural agenda, 8.8 for transport, 8.7 for safety and 8.4 for cleanliness.

The capital has established itself as a global leader, with this recognition underscoring its exceptional reputation. The city’s MICE sector has successfully developed a competitive, creative, innovative and committed industry that has so much to offer. This success is the result of the hard work, investment and professionalism of the sector in recent years, as well as the collaboration between public and private organisations.

Madrid City Council works closely with the tourism sector through Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB). While the department headed by the Councillor for Tourism oversees the strategy to position the capital as a destination for professional meetings, MCB brings together more than 225 companies from Madrid, representing all the businesses in the meetings tourism industry. It plays a key role in designing and developing the city’s promotional activities, and it celebrated its 40th anniversary this past April.

Looking ahead to 2025, MCB will prioritise attracting meetings and events in strategic industries that can create synergies for the city, such as cybersecurity, the fintech sector and big data. This will be underpinned by a commitment to sustainability and ensuring that meetings tourism has a positive impact on Madrid.

The Bureau’s annual action plan will place greater importance on initiatives with key inbound markets that bring business travellers to the capital, such as the United States, Europe and Latin America.