Busan Enters World Top 10 Convention City Rankings
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According to the world ranking of convention cities by the Union of International Associations (UIA) in 2013, Busan ranked as Asia’s fourth best convention city and ninth in the world among 1,465 cities in 174 countries surveyed.
Moving from fifth to fourth in the rankings in 2013, the City of Busan hosted 166 international meetings last year compared with a total of 93 in 2012. Busan’s overall worldwide market share of the industry increased from 0.9 percent in 2012 to 1.5 percent in 2013.
The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a research institute and documentation centre, based in Brussels, Belgium. Since 1960 the UIA has prepared statistics on the international meetings that have taken place worldwide in the preceding year. This work is based on routine research and surveys undertaken by the UIA. Meetings taken into consideration include those organized and/or sponsored by international organizations, i.e. the sittings of their principal organs, congresses, conventions, symposia, regional sessions grouping several countries, as well as some national meetings with international participation organized by national branches of international associations, with over 250 participants, at least 40 percent of the participants are from countries other than the host country and at least 5 nationalities and lasting at least 2 days are represented.
※ UIA 2013 Global Rankings
① Singapore (1,132) ② Brussels (442) ③ Vienna (348) ④ Seoul (271) ⑤ Tokyo (233)
⑥ Barcelona (214) ⑦ Madrid (189) ⑧ Paris (187) ⑨ Busan (166) ⑩ London (147)
With the city’s market share increasing 1.7 times over the past ten years, Busan has posted the world's highest average growth rate for hosting international meetings. This further distinguishes Busan a successful and dynamic international convention city as it is the only non-capital city on the UIA list of top 10 meeting cities for 2013.
The city’s significant accomplishments are due to:
△ Expansion of BEXCO (construction of auditorium and second convention/exhibition hall)
△ Well-established infrastructure ？ roads, transportation, tourism, shopping, and accommodations
△ Collaborative efforts from Busan Tourism Organization (founded in January 2013), BEXCO, hotels and universities.
The city is strengthening its capacity to host international meetings through establishing MICE industry infrastructure, widening its industrial base, and pursuing a global marketing strategy.
The City of Busan plans to continue its efforts to grow as an international convention city with close cooperation from BEXCO and the Busan Tourism Organization.
