Turespaña and the Spanish Association of Congress Centre (APCE) have signed an agreement aimed at improving Spain’s position in the international business tourism market.
The collaboration agreement, signed by Ignacio Valle Muñoz, secretary-general of the Spanish Institute of Tourism, and Jose Salinas, president of APCE, in the presence of Manuel Butler, SEO of Turespaña, is geared to establishing a collaboration framework between the two institutions for promoting and developing Spain as an international MICE destination.
According to figures provided by the association, more than one in three of the delegates attending congresses or conventions at APCE member venues come from abroad. This means that the country’s congress centres constitute an important instrument for marketing Spain internationally. Turespaña also regards the relevant role of the country’s congress centres, both in overcoming the tourism industry’s seasonality, diversifying its tourist offerings and improving quality in the industry, as a differentiating factor in international markets. In fact, these venues play a key role in the strategy implemented in the framework of current tourism marketing policies in Spain.
In the words of the President of APCE and the Managing Director of the Congress Centre of Valencia, "it’s important to stress the relevance of congress centres in the staging of large events in Spain and, particularly, their international impact, taking account that these venues host approximately 60% of the delegates taking part in them, as well as their contribution to improving Spain’s position in the international rankings, a country that has seen the number of international meetings hosted increase by more than 100% over the last 10 years, according to statistics provided by the International Association of Congresses and Conventions (ICCA)."
Turespaña and APCE join forces to promote Spain abroad
