“Dubai has maintained its strong position in the UIA’s rankings in the face of renewed competition and strong economic headwinds, globally”.
The latest rankings published by the Union of International Associations (UIA) positions Dubai in the 14th place in the global meetings industry. Issam Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing said, “Our aim remains to break into the top 10 destinations and, together with our partners, I am confident that we will achieve this as we build a global knowledge hub here in Dubai.”
The latest affirmation of Dubai’s standing comes on the back of its selection to host the World Expo in 2020. Dubai expects to attract as many as 20 million visitors by 2020.
This year’s International Meetings Statistics Report is the 57th Edition of the UIA’s analysis of trends in the international meetings industry, showing consistency in Dubai’s rise among international meeting cities, after rising seven places in just two years - up from number 21 in 2013.
Released in May of this year, the 2015 ICCA Country and City Rankings track the number of rotating international association meetings that take place around the world each year. In 2015, a total of 56 were hosted in Dubai. This volume of events allowed the city to retain its top 50 position globally, ranking 46th, following a significant leap from 63rd place in 2013. In the Asia Pacific and Middle East region rankings, Dubai also improved its position, moving up two places from number 12 to 10.
