London, Moscow and Barcelona will be the MICE champions next year

The ranking of the 10 cities that are expected to have the most meetings and incentives activity in the EMEA region next year is led by London, Moscow and Barcelona, according to a CWT M&E report. The Catalan capital is up two places from the previous year, while Madrid drops out of the list, which in 2018 ranked ninth.

Rankings are based on proprietary and industry data used in the 2019 Meetings & Events Future Trends Report:

PREVIEW FOR 2019

(2018/2017 positions in parentheses):

1. London. United Kingdom (1/1)
2. Moscowú. Russia (6/-)
3. Barcelona. Spain (5/2)

4. Berlin. Germany (8/3)
5. Hamburg. Germany (-/-)
6. Vienna. Austria (-/-)
7. Stockholm. Sweden (-/-)
8. Cologne. Germany (10/-)
9. Paris. France (2/5)
10. Frankfurt. Germany (-/7)

The 2019 rankings show four new entries: Vienna, in Austria (6); Stockholm, in Sweden (7); and Germany's Hamburg (5) and Frankfurt (-/7), which are back in the top ten after dropping out of the table in 2018. On the other hand, Madrid (9/6) falls off the list for 2019.

Although the current nnegotiations for the UK's exit from the European Union cause uncertainty around airline, visa and border control arrangements, London's popularity as a destination has not been dented for the time being.

“Border control in the U.K. is a concern stemming from Brexit, especially if stricter measures lead to queues and waits at airports,” says Ian Cummings, vice president for Europe, Middle East and &Africa at CWT Meetings & Events.

Paris will start to take business from the U.K. if it is difficult for attendees to get to their destination country, especially if they are traveling from Asia,

It is likely that Russia's hosting of the FIFA World Cup has increased Moscow's attractiveness as a potential meetings and events destination. While París, Barcelona and Berlín remain popular cities.

Across the Europe, Middle East and &Africa region, the cost per attendee per day is forecast to rise by 6% in 2019, to an average of $255 U.S. dollars.

In theEurozone, inflation reached 2.1% in July, according to the European Commission's statistics office, Eurostat. The figure is above the European Central Bank's target of less than 2%. Meanwhile in the U.K., the Bank of England has raised interest rates for only the second time in a day.

The World Bank Group's úlatest report on the economy of the Middle East and North Africa forecasts regional growth to rise to 3.1 % in 2018, up from 2 % in 2017, and to remain firm during 2019 and 2020. This increase is expected to be driven by a favorable global economic environment, stability in the oil market and slightly higher prices, as well as post-conflict reconstruction projects.

While security is always a priority when planning meetings and events, it appears that terrorist attacks in the U.K., Germany, France and Spain in 2016 and 2017 have not significantly dampened demand in London, Berlín, París or Barcelona.

Meanwhile, other UK cities, such as Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, continue to grow. Non-traditional event venues, such as sports stadiums, are taking advantage of the potential to increase revenue by hosting meetings and corporate events there, offering alternative and more choice to organizers.

Greek destinations are improving their position thanks to the growing demand for meetings in Athens and the fact that many of its islands, such as Mykonos, have become popular destinations for incentive travel, competing with Ibiza, the south of France and other popular Mediterranean destinations.