S’pore ranks top in global list of destination for meetings and business

Source : Channel NewsAsia - 18 Sep 2008

For the first time, Singapore has clinched top spot as the best place for meetings and businesses, beating global players such as Paris and Vienna.

The Union of International Associations (UIA) Global Rankings also gave Singapore top billing as the number one Asian country for meetings, a position Singapore has held for the past 24 years.

The Singapore Tourism Board said the country accounted for 22.5 per cent of the meetings held in Asia in 2007.

Over the past ten years, Singapore has also seen a whopping 256 per cent growth in international meetings staged here.

Last year, Singapore hosted 465 international meetings that met UIA’s qualifying criteria, representing a significant 56 per cent growth over 2006.

Most notable among the meetings were the 3rd Hague International Model of United Nations, the 27th International Epilepsy Congress, the 2nd World Glaucoma Congress & Exhibition, the 18th Wonca World Conference 2007 and International Bar Association Conference 2007 which cumulatively drew close to 12,700 delegates to converge in Singapore.