Conference & Meetings World Supplements - ISSUE 80 | Page 7

ICCA Ranking Istanbul thinking big on the Bosphorus R anking ninth in the world in 2014 with 130 congresses, Istanbul has now held an ICCA top 10 city ranking since 2010. Major infrastructure projects include a third airport, due to open in 2018 and designed to cater for 150m passengers, making Istanbul the largest airline hub in the world, and a new road tunnel to connect Asia and Europe. A third bridge along the Bosphorus is under construction. The city is home to seven convention centres, and is capable of hosting 30,000 delegates. There are four independent meeting clusters in the city’s Congress Valley, the Golden Horn, the Airport Area and the Asian side. Commenting on the new No.9 ranking, Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) chairman Ibrahim Caglar says: “Istanbul offers accessibility, a large number of highquality meeting and congress centres, a high- standard and good variety of accommodation, as well as historical, cultural and natural attractions and stellar-quality customer services. “Istanbul is also a hub for both education and knowledge and R&D in the region with its 49 universities.” Caglar continues: “The number of congresses in Istanbul has risen by 280% during the past 10 years and we expect this increase to continue. Our goal for 2023 is for Istanbul to rank in the top five convention destinations in the world and the top three in Europe.” Ozgul Ozkan Yavuz, general manager of the ICVB, adds: "Istanbul is the only city in the world straddling two continents, as a physical and metaphorical coming together of East and West, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. “Istanbul is a connecting hub with two billion people living within six hours’ flying time, making it an obvious choice for planners seeking a truly global setting.” Images above, from top: Istanbul Congress Centre and The Halic Centre CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD 7