According to a ranking by Cvent, an events, meetings, and hospitality technology provider, Montego Bay in Jamaica ranks eighth in a list of the Top 10 places to hold conferences in the Caribbean region in 2019. The other top sites in the Caribbean and Latin American region ranked by Cvent included Nassau, Bahamas; Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; San José del Cabo, Mexico; Mexico City; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, The rankings were based on meeting and event bookings throughout Cvent’s venue sourcing area.
Cvent’s annual ranking identified some general trends for 2019 as well. According to the firm, Orlando in Florida remained the most popular meeting destination in the United States. This was the tenth consecutive year the city held the Number 1 sport. Las Vegas and Chicago retained the second and third sports, respectively in 2019, as they did in 2017 and 2018. New additions to the Top 10 were Cleveland, Coronado, and Napa Seven cities from Texas and California made the Top 50 ranking. Florida had five cities in this ranked list..
Cvent noted that business meetings, conferences and other events add some $1.5 billion to the international GDP each year, and because of this positive impact, the listing is even more important than in the past. According to Chris McAndrews, vice president of marketing for Cvent Hospitality Cloud. The top destinations in each group have not changed much year-over-year, but cities like Napa, Edinburgh, and Beirut are positioning themselves to take advantage of this lucrative market.
The top 10 cities in the United States are Orlando, FL; Las Vegas; Chicago; Atlanta; Dallas; Nashville, TN; San Diego; New York City; Miami; Washington, DC.
The top 10 cities in Europe are London; Berlin; Barcelona, Spain; Paris; Amsterdam; Madrid; Frankfurt, Germany; Rome; Prague; Munich,
In Asia sites include Singapore; Bangkok; Hong Kong; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Shanghai; Tokyo; Seoul, South Korea; Beijing; Bali, Indonesia; Mumbai,
In the Caribbean & Latin America, top sites include Nassau, Bahamas; Playa del Carmen, Mexico; Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; San José del Cabo, Mexico; Mexico City; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands,
In the Middle East & Africa/ the top sites are Dubai’ Abu Dhabi’ Cape Town, South Africa; Johannesburg; Marrakesh, Morocco; Cairo; Beirut; Doha, Qatar; Nairobi, Kenya; Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
Sites in Canada include Toronto; Vancouver; Montreal; Calgary, Alberta; Mississauga, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario; Edmonton, Alberta; Quebec City; Banff, Alberta; Whistler, British Columbia,
Top sites in Australia & Oceania include Sydney, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Brisbane, Australia; Gold Coast, Australia; Perth, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Adelaide, Australia; Queenstown, New Zealand; Cairns, Australia; Nadi, Fiji,
Information and photo source: Hotel Business, Montego Bay Convention Centre
