Interview: Istanbul Rises as a Global Convention City Amidst Turkey’s Problems
Photo Credit: The new Istanbul Grand Airport is scheduled to open in 2019. Haptic Architects
Skift Take
Istanbul is emerging as a new global business hub due to massive infrastructure improvements, including what will be the largest capacity airport in Europe, but security fears could potentially dampen growth.
According to the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Istanbul was the eighth busiest convention city in the world last year, up from 46th place at the beginning of the century.
The dramatic increase in convention business in Turkey's busiest gateway city aligns with the rise of leisure tourism. Istanbul climbed two spots in the 2015 MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index, surpassing New York and Singapore, to become the fifth most visited city in the world.
The 10 international source markets with the highest number of inbound arrivals, in order from first are: Germany, Iran, Russia, Britain, France, U.S., Italy, Holland, Ukraine, and Iraq.
Out of the 40 cities listed in the MasterCard Index, Istanbul recorded the highest jump over 2014 at 11.4%. Bangkok and Dubai followed next at around 8%.
“Istanbul has a much higher growth rate than Paris," reads the report. "If these two cities continue to grow their international visitors’ numbers
