After a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and the crisis in the meetings industry, the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has released its ICCA Business Analytics - Country & City Rankings, providing annual statistics on the international association meetings market held in-person during the previous year. Dubrovnik achieved a record-breaking position, ranking 44^th among European destinations and 66^th worldwide!

During the pandemic, as live events were minimized or non-existent, ICCA did not publish rankings but focused on relevant industry research. However, at the end of 2022, they reintroduced their regular ranking, as it was revealed that almost 85 percent of all meetings that year were held in-person. ICCA recorded a total of 10,500 meetings, of which 9,000 were held in-person or in a hybrid format.

Dubrovnik - the Best Meeting Destination in Croatia, 44^th in Europe, and 66^th in the World

At one of the largest and most significant gatherings of the global meetings industry, the IMEX Frankfurt MICE trade show, ICCA announced the latest rankings for 2022.

With 29 association meetings held this year, Dubrovnik secured 66^th position in the global ranking of meeting destinations. Compared to 2019 when it was ranked 88^th, this represents a jump of 22 places!

Dubrovnik is also the leading meeting destination in Croatia according to ICCA, surpassing even the capital city. Zagreb took the 78^th place with 26 meetings, while Split ranked 326^th worldwide. Among other cities in the region, Ljubljana stands out at the 40^th position with 40 meetings, and Belgrade is at the 70^th position with 28 meetings.

Vienna reclaimed the title of the best meeting destination in the world, jumping from 6^th place with 162 meetings, while Paris dropped from first to third place with 134 meetings. Lisbon held onto a high second place with 144 meetings, followed by Barcelona (133) and Prague (129) in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

In the list of top European meeting destinations, Dubrovnik ranks 44^th, Zagreb 51^st and Split 187^th.

"This is the best result for Dubrovnik as a meeting destination, as well as for Croatia. The results confirm that the years-long effort in presenting Dubrovnik as a meeting destination, collecting and monitoring statistics on held meetings, has been worthwhile. It is also a confirmation of the excellence of the meetings offering in Dubrovnik, and such progress on the global map of meeting events is truly encouraging and joyful," emphasized Romana Vlašić, Head of the Convention Bureau and International Markets Development.

Croatia Among the Top 40 Meeting Countries Worldwide – 33^rd Place

The United States, the leading meeting country for the past two decades, retains the top spot on the meeting country rankings with 690 meetings. It is followed by Spain (528), Italy (522), Germany (484), and France (472).

Croatia has moved up one spot and landed at 33^rd position on the list of global meeting countries, with 79 meetings. This is the highest position achieved so far, reaffirming the country’s status as a leading meeting country in the wider region. Slovenia occupies 40^th position, and Serbia is at 42^nd.

In the European meeting country rankings, Croatia ranks twentieth

The annual ICCA rankings have been published for many years and are one of the most relevant statistical data in the global meetings industry. In order to be included in the ICCA rankings, meetings/congresses must be organized by associations, held regularly, have at least 50 participants, and rotate between at least three countries.