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Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city that spans Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait, climbed one spot in the ranking of world congress cities last year and entered the top 20 for the first time since 2015, according to International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) data.

According to the statement made by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC), Istanbul hosted 86 international congresses in 2024, with the number of participants ranging from 50 to 7,300, and moved up one place in the ranking of congress cities in the world and Europe.

The number of major congresses held in Istanbul in 2024 increased by 14 compared to the previous year, according to ICCA data. Istanbul ranked 15th in Europe and 20th in the world in the ranking of congress cities.

Aiming for the top 10 in congress tourism, Istanbul had achieved this goal once before in 2015, when it ranked eighth in the world.

According to the ICCA list, Vienna ranked first by hosting 154 congresses in the world in 2024, followed by Lisbon with 153 congresses and Singapore with 144 congresses.

Istanbul ranked eighth in the world in the list of "Top Eight Cities for Medical Sciences Meetings in 2024," announced for the first time.

"Our goal is to enter the top 10 permanently and increase our added value," said President of ICOC Sekib Avdagic.

Avdagic emphasized that Istanbul has three important advantages in the global congress market: meeting venues, hotel facilities, and international accessibility.

"Istanbul ranked second after London in the 'Best Performing Destinations in European Accommodation Statistics for 2024' ranking determined by the international CityDNA, which ranks European cities according to the total number of overnight stays," he said.

"Again, Istanbul and Antalya ranked in the top four in CityDNA's 'Increase in International Travel to European Destinations' statistics. We are proud that two cities from our country are among the cities with the highest growth in Europe," Avdagic added.