Korea takes first place in UIA global meetings ranking

Korea now ranks in the number one spot worldwide for global congresses hosted in 2016, according to the latest International Meetings Statistics Report released by the Union of International Associations (UIA). The result is a reflection of strong growth by established Korean meeting cities such as Seoul, as well as rising destinations like Busan, Jeju, and Incheon, contributing to the country’s increasingly diverse business events portfolio.

Supporting this growth is the Korea MICE Expo that is jointly organised by the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) along with its 11 Regional Convention Bureaus. The nation recently concluded the 18th edition of Korea MICE Expo 2017, its leading business events trade show that brought together 250 businesses and more than 300 buyers from around the world, including India. The expo showcased their MICE products in a two-day expo at Incheon’s Songdo Convensia between 15-16 June, 2017 that recorded a total of 3,000 attendees. This reflected a 21.6 per cent increase in attendance over the previous year.
Kapsoo Kim, Executive Director, Korea MICE Bureau, says, “These latest findings are a strong reflection of Korea’s broad growth not only across the country’s meetings section, but across the country itself. Established event destinations like Seoul are continuing to show their prowess, while an increasing number of regional capitals are giving global meetings planners an increasing variety of options, and so boosting Korea’s appeal for congresses.”

The findings show Korea as a country rising from 891 meetings in 2015 to 997 in 2016, reflecting almost a 12 per cent increase over the previous year. Making up the national equation, Seoul, maintained its third place city ranking and hosted 526 meetings in 2016, up from 494 in 2015. Now ranking in 14th place, the port city of Busan hosted 152 meetings in 2016 (increase of 1.33 per cent) and Jeju, which increased its ranking from 19th to 17th place, held 116 meetings in 2016 – four more than 2015.

Nationwide infrastructure growth continues to bolster Korea’s industry competitiveness, including new facilities such as the Paradise City integrated resort next to Incheon International Airport (itself due to open a second passenger terminal later in the year) and expansions to existing facilities such as Songdo ConvensiA, which are expected to finish in 2018. South Korea’s tallest building, the new 555m-tall Lotte World Tower, recently opened in Seoul; the tower is also home to the luxury-brand 235-guestroom Signiel Hotel. A raft of new boutique hotels are also opening up across Korea, boosting budget accommodation options for business visitors.

Meanwhile, operational services are growing in new regional hotspots, such as convention bureau established for Cheongsong in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and establishment of the Gangwon Convention Bureau in response to the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, set to take place from February 9-25 next year. Event planners have also been able to enjoy an expanded range of services and support for locally-hosted events from the Korea MICE Bureau.