Santiago de Chile ranks third in the ICCA 2024 ranking as the leading destination for international conferences in the Americas
Chile's national capital is positioned as the third city with the most ICCA-certified events on the continent, consolidating the country's leadership in meeting tourism in the region
New international recognition places Chile in a privileged position within continental meeting tourism. According to the recent 2024 ranking by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), the city of Santiago reached third place in the Americas (from Canada to South America) as a destination for international conferences.
The news was announced today at the IMEX trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany, one of the most important events in the MICE segment. In the 2024 edition of the ranking, ICCA highlighted our country's capital, which surpassed major cities on the continent, such as Bogotá, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Toronto. Buenos Aires and Montreal occupied the top positions, respectively.
At the national level, Chile ranked fourth in South America—behind Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia—after hosting 98 congresses, conventions, and seminars last year, 21 more international events than the previous year. Meanwhile, globally, the country climbed from 39th to 37th place.
Undersecretary of Tourism Verónica Pardo expressed her satisfaction with this achievement, stating that "being well positioned in this international ranking is both a recognition and a strategic boost for our country's economic development and international projection. Furthermore, it underscores Chile's growing appeal as a host for large-scale events, which represents a valuable opportunity to boost the economic development of host destinations."
This achievement is largely due to the work of the ambassadors of Sernatur's Meet in Chile program, a key tool in promoting meeting tourism that has yielded significant success in attracting international conferences. Furthermore, the 98 events organized in Chile (including the 60 held in Santiago) were compiled by Sernatur in collaboration with private companies and convention bureaus throughout the country.
Among other initiatives led by Sernatur, its national director, Cristóbal Benítez, highlighted that "the meetings segment is among our lines of action to improve competitiveness, global positioning, and the enhancement of secondary destinations. Thus, in 2024, Chile participated in important MICE fairs, such as Fiexpo Latam, IMEX America, ICCA Summit, and Motivation Luxury Summit, and also organized training for the markets of Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, and the Pacific Alliance, with the aim of increasing the country's recognition in this area. We hope to continue on this path: so far this year, we have already won 13 events and are simultaneously working on five new applications, so we expect more than 3,350 delegates to come to Chile in the coming years."
Chile's new ranking in the 2024 ICCA rankings reaffirms the country's commitment to strengthening its meeting tourism industry, a key sector for economic growth and international outreach.
Source: SERNATUR.