Istanbul reaches 10-year peak in congress tourism
Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) President Şekib Avdagiç stated that the number of congresses in Istanbul has increased by 10 percent and the city's share in Turkey's congress tourism success has exceeded 65 percent.
12punto
The GlobeMeets B2B Networking Event 2026, which brings together the global travel industry, has begun at Rixos Tersane Istanbul under the motto "Meeting Point Beyond Borders." Speaking at the opening of the event, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) President Şekib Avdagiç stated that Istanbul has reached its strongest level in the international congress market in the last 10 years.
Avdagiç said that Istanbul has risen two spots in the international congress city rankings, reaching 13th place in Europe and 18th in the world. Noting that the number of congresses held in the city has increased by 10 percent compared to the previous year, Avdagiç recorded that Istanbul's share in Turkey's total congress tourism success has exceeded 65 percent.
Expressing that the ITO and the Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) are working intensively to bring international events to the city, Avdagiç emphasized that 95 international events in which Istanbul was involved and contributed to have been successfully realized.
OVER 25 THOUSAND MEETINGS TARGETED
More than 3,000 tourism professionals are participating in GlobeMeets 2026, including over 1,000 buyer travel agencies from more than 50 countries, 200 participating companies, official tourism offices from 11 countries, and nearly 20 global airline companies. During the two-day organization, it is expected that over 25,000 meetings will be held in total, with more than 11,000 planned B2B appointments and over 15,000 natural contacts.
The event aims to generate a commercial business volume exceeding 100 million Euros. Avdagiç stated that two major organizations were held simultaneously in Istanbul on the same day, allowing the city to host over 12,000 foreign experts and visitors.
Speaking at the opening, TÜRSAB Vice President Hasan Eker issued warnings regarding digital platforms in relation to the draft law expected to come to the Parliament's agenda. Stating that foreign online portals should not be in an advantageous position regarding legal obligations, Eker said that they are not against technology, but against inequality in competitive conditions.
Emphasizing that the same rules should be applied to both domestic and foreign platforms, Eker said, "We do not want privilege, we want equality."