Madrid has reaffirmed its leading position as a venue for major professional events by being named, for the ninth consecutive time, Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination 2026 at the European gala for the 33rd edition of the World Travel Awards. These prestigious international awards, which recognise excellence in the tourism industry, were presented this past weekend in Kotor (Montenegro).
The Councillor for Tourism, Almudena Maíllo, highlighted the importance of this award, which “positions Madrid as a European benchmark in business tourism, as the destination that has won this prize – awarded based on votes from industry professionals – the most times”.
The capital has come out on top against the other nine cities competing in this category, including Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Milan and Paris. This accolade follows on from those achieved just a week ago at the World MICE Awards 2026, the awards specialising in meetings tourism, where Madrid was named the world’s and Europe’s best incentive destination.
A city-wide collaborative effort
Maíllo acknowledged “the work of the sector, including hotels, venues, agencies, transport providers and all the professionals working to establish the city as a preferred destination for event organisers”. This specialised sector benefits from a public-private partnership spearheaded by the Madrid Convention Bureau (MCB), a department within the Delegate Area for Tourism responsible for developing the action plan that positions the city as one of the leading destinations for the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry, with a strategy centred on social impact and a positive legacy for Madrid.
Home » Madrid, Europe’s best destination for meetings and conferences for the ninth consecutive year
The capital could add to its list of accolades on 12 December at the 2026 World Travel Awards global gala, where it is nominated alongside cities such as Buenos Aires, Dubai, Las Vegas and Hong Kong. Voting for this grand final, in which Madrid aims to retain its title as the world’s best destination for meetings and conferences for the eighth consecutive time, remains open until 30 October.
Business tourism in Madrid
Business tourism is a key sector for the capital, which in 2025 hosted more than 51,000 events, including seminars, conventions and conferences, generating an economic impact of over 5,500 million euros, according to data from the ‘Report on the Measurement of Business Tourism in the City of Madrid’. The city accounts for 23 per cent of the expenditure generated by the MICE industry in Spain.
The level of satisfaction amongst business travellers in Madrid is very high and exceeds their expectations of the destination. 99 per cent of event participants would recommend the city for a meeting and rate its services at 4.46 out of five, highlighting its gastronomic, leisure, cultural and shopping offerings.
