At the meeting between the Spanish Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism and the Spanish Association of Congress Centres (APCE), the fundamental role of congress centres for local economies was highlighted.
In the framework of the activities carried out during the International Tourism Show (FITUR), the members of the executive board of APCE, on behalf of the association, met with the Spanish Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, Jose Manuel Soria, with the aim of conveying to him the importance and specific impact of business tourism on the tourism industry as a whole.
Among the issues addressed during the meeting, the accent was put on Spain’s leading position in the international meeting and event marketplace. The country is currently ranked 3rd in the world, according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) , having registered a 100% increase in the number of meetings hosted in the last 10 years; while in the European ranking the country is currently second only to France, ahead of both Germany and Italy. Eighty percent of the meetings rotating between a minimum of three European countries include Spain as a destination, and three out of four are held at congress centres.
In Spain, congress centres are currently the most popular venues for holding congresses, hosting 70% of international events with between 1,000-4,000 delegates. APCE, the association representing Spain’s chief congress centres, has a structuring effect on this industry. As regards the country’s market share in a European context, Spain currently has a significant 10%, APCE member centres hosting over 40% of all meetings and events.
The association’s president, Jose Salinas, stressed that, although the total investment in the country’s congress centre is in the region of €1,500 million, this has been amply compensated by their economic impact, which, only in the last five years, has totalled €8,200 million, thanks to the sheer volume of meetings and events that they have hosted to date. Since 2003, these centres have hosted over 38 million delegates attending a total of 50,000 events, including 4,800 congresses and nearly 3,500 conventions in which four, six and two million delegates have participated, respectively. The profits generated by these events have led to the creation of around 3,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, and have helped to overcome seasonal demand in the tourism industry.
In the words of Salinas: "More than a third of the congress and convention delegates hosted last year came from abroad, all of which means that Spain’s congress centres have become an important tool for the country’s international promotion. At APCE, we continue to base our strategy of continuous improvement, professionalism and innovation with the aim of strengthening Spain’s brand image as a quality destination and helping our country to increase its competiveness and consolidate its leading position in international markets."
The meeting between the Minister and APCE has served to strengthen ties between the Government and the association in favour of improving the quality of the Spanish tourism industry and diversifying the country’s tourist products, with the aim of increasing the number of international congresses and conventions held in Spain.
Spanish Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism and APCE meet to defend international promotion
