MICE tourism is already 6% above the data recorded pre-pandemic and it is This year we saw how fair call recorded a record turnout. And there’s still room for growth: throughout 2023 a total of 105 shows are scheduled internationally. In 2019, there were 94 events held.

For now, the transaction data made with corporate cards analyzed by UniversalPay shows that during the first quarter of this year, business travel grew by 38% compared to the previous year, and this figure increased to 171% when compared to the year the pandemic occurred.

According to the latest data released by Turespaña, our country is the top destination, followed by France, Germany, Italy and the UK. Not only for national events, but also international.

The evolution of business travel since 2020

Specific, in 2020, corporate travel increased 107.08% on last year. They have done that at 33% in 2021, although still, with the comings and goings of different restrictions, it’s hard to get back to recovery. Now yes, in 2023, it looks like we can talk about it. Growth recorded between the first quarter results of 2021 and 2023 was 171%, and all indicate it will continue to increase in the months ahead.

A study by the Spanish Convention Bureau shows that, in Spain, corporate tourism generates 7,000 million euros per year. And these types of travelers have greater purchasing power and their average spending is typically higher than leisure tourists, with an average of 206 euros per day compared to an average of 146 spent per second, according to data from Ostelea.

in our country, Madrid and Barcelona host nearly 50% of the professional meetings. In fact, the Catalan capital is the fourth city in the world that has hosted the most congresses (156), according to statistics from the International Congresses and Conventions Association (ICCA).