CWT Meetings & Events, a division of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, has unveiled its predictions for the top ten cities in Europe, Middle East & Africa for 2019 events.
The ranking is based on proprietary and industry data in CWT’s 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trends report, to be published later this week. It features each city’s 2018/17 positions in brackets:
- London, UK (1/1)
- Moscow, Russia (6/-)
- Barcelona, Spain (5/2)
- Berlin, Germany (8/3)
- Hamburg, Germany (-/-)
- Vienna, Austria (-/-)
- Stockholm, Sweden (-/-)
- Cologne, Germany (10/-)
- Paris, France (2/5)
- Frankfurt, Germany (-/7)
The 2019 ranking shows four new entries: Vienna in Austria (6), Stockholm in Sweden (7), and Germany’s Hamburg (5) and Frankfurt (-/7), returning to the top ten ranking after dropping out in 2018. Meanwhile, Madrid (9/6) is off the 2019 list, too.
Ian Cummings, vice president of EMEA at CWT Meetings & Events, said: “Border control in the UK is a concern post-Brexit if tighter measures lead to longer queues at airports. Paris will start taking business from the UK if it becomes tricky for attendees to come into the country – especially from Asia.”
Despite ongoing Brexit negotiations for the UK to leave the European Union casting uncertainty over how the deal will play out for airlines, visas and border control, the popularity of London as a destination is undiminished for now.
Russia’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2018 is likely to have boosted the appeal of Moscow as a meetings and events destination. Meanwhile, Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin remain popular.
