International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) ranked Morocco in fifth position for business tourism in Africa, according to its latest annual report entitled “ICCA’s Country and City Rankings for 2023,” published Wednesday, coinciding with IMEX Frankfurt (May 14-16).
Morocco’s position was achieved on the back of it hosting 26 international events.
The Kingdom, which also ranks 62nd worldwide, is outstripped on the continent by South Africa with 98 international events, Rwanda (32), Kenya (29), and Egypt (28).
In particular, countries such as Morocco, South Africa and Rwanda are highlighted for their “significant progress in developing their business tourism sector”.
As for the best convention cities in Africa, Marrakech emerges as the most representative city in Morocco. The Red city, which successfully organized the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from October 9-15, 2023, with around 14,000 participants in attendance, shares the 6th spot ex aequo with the Ghanaian capital Accra. Marrakech ranks 143rd worldwide as it hosted 16 events.
According to the report, Africa hosted 3,535 international meetings and proved its potential as a business tourism destination.
The United States is the leading destination for business tourism globally, with 690 international events in 2023; followed by Italy (553), Spain (505), France (472) and Germany (463).