Its 2024 list was drawn from sourcing activity tracked on the Cvent Supplier Network of more than 300,000 hotels, resorts and special event venues around the world between January and December 2023.
Amid rapid growth in business events across Asia Pacific, strong demand for the top five destinations on the list has continued in the first few months of this year.
“This shows the consistent appetite among planners and also the efforts these destinations have put in to ensure they retain their tag of being top meeting destinations,” said Jack Ukil, head of Cvent in Australia.
Will Kataria, Cvent’s senior director and general manager for Asia Pacific added: “The MICE market in Singapore is experiencing high growth, particularly due to the rise in demand for in-person events.
“Events are so powerful; they build brands, provide extrinsic and intrinsic value to those who attend and work on them, and have the potential to be a strong revenue engine when delivered well.”
Commenting on Australia, Ukil said: “Australia’s events industry continues to thrive, garnering global acclaim for its international conferences, incentive events, venues and exhibitions.”
He noted that event professionals are leading the charge in adopting cutting-edge technology to enhance efficiencies across the event lifecycle, from procurement to post-event stages.
“This momentum is fuelled by a robust desire for expansion and increased event-driven revenue,” said Ukil.
However other destinations are also gaining popularity.
“While these top five continue to remain popular, the Northstar and Cvent Meeting Industry Pulse report [in] March 2024 showed newer destinations like Macao, Shanghai and Jakarta are also being considered by meeting planners,” said Ukil.
Hong Kong was late reopening after the pandemic but showed a good resurgence when it climbed six places to 14th spot in the 2024 report, and it’s expected to move higher.
Cvent noted the increase in business events being held in Hong Kong and the work that has been done by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and hotels there to brand Hong Kong as a premiere meeting destination.
