Dubai has retained its top ranking from 2019 as the top destination for meetings in Middle East and Africa (MEA) for 2023, said Cvent, an industry-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider, in a new report.

Titled “Top Meeting Destinations and Top Meeting Hotels for Middle East and Africa” the report . also includes regional rankings for North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, which were compiled based on sourcing activity through the Cvent Supplier Network (CSN), one of the world’s largest venue-sourcing platforms.

"Digital transformation has revolutionised the way hospitality professionals embrace technology to engage planners and enhance their sales and marketing efforts to attract meetings and events to their properties or locales,” said Graham Pope, Cvent Vice President of International Sales.

“The pandemic proved how critically important meetings and events are for bolstering local economies and our Cvent Top Lists highlight the hotels, venues and destinations that are enabling a dramatic comeback by capitalising on the swift return to in-person events. After four long years, we’re excited to share these insights once again and provide a resource that is used by event organisers to find great hotels and destinations and by hospitality professionals looking to set themselves apart to increase their MICE revenue.”

As the top performing region in the world for post-pandemic tourism recovery, the destinations in the Middle East and Africa have attracted events to their cities by quickly adapting and innovating to changing circumstances. Tourism boards continue to invest heavily in projects with global appeal, including restoring historical sites and opening new tourist attractions to further elevate the appeal of these meeting destinations.

Newcomers to the list include Turkey, with two cities in the Top 10 – Istanbul (#2) and Antalya (#7), Muscat, Oman (#8) and Tel Aviv, Israel (#10).

Top 10 meeting destinations in Middle East and Africa
1.    Dubai, UAE
2.    Istanbul, Turkey
3.    Marrakesh, Morocco
4.    Abu Dhabi, UAE
5.    Cape Town, South Africa
6.    Cairo, Egypt
7.    Antalya, Turkey
8.    Muscat, Oman
9.    Johannesburg, South Africa
10.    Tel Aviv, Israel

Cvent top meeting hotels
Many hoteliers leveraged the downtime in 2020 and 2021 to invest in upgrades and renovations to prepare their properties for the post-pandemic travel boom and better appeal to rising traveller expectations. Newcomers to the Top 10 – including InterContinental Istanbul and Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights – unveiled significant renovations in the last few years. Hotels that prioritised state-of-the-art meeting facilities are also featured highly in the Top 10, proving the long-term value of these investments to attract MICE business.

Top 10 Meeting Hotels in Middle East and Africa
1.    Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus
2.    Grand Hyatt Dubai
3.    Conrad Dubai
4.    InterContinental Dubai Festival City
5.    InterContinental Istanbul
6.    Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center
7.    JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai
8.    Hilton Dubai Al Habtoor City
9.    Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights
10.    Sofitel Dubai The Palm – TradeArabia News Service