By Kim Jae-heun
Korea has become the largest global conference organizer in the world for the second straight year, according to a global research institute, Sunday.
The Union of International Associations (UIA) issued its latest Global Meetings Ranking and Korea ranked first after hosting 1,297 congresses out of 10,780 held across the world in 2017, accounting for 12.6 percent. In 2016, Korea also led with 997 events, taking up 9.5 percent.
Korea has been emerging as a venue for global conferences, as evidenced by the steady increase in recent years _ fourth in 2014 with 636 and second in 2015 with 891.
By city, Seoul came in third with 688 congresses as Singapore topped the list with 877. The Belgian municipality of Brussels ranked second at 763.
Other Korean cities also moved up the rankings as Busan jumped from 14th to eighth and Jeju Island had a two-notch boost from 17th to 15th.
Such accomplishments are believed to have come from the Korean government's longtime comprehensive efforts to draw in various international conventions.
Korea made a law in 1996 to foster the industry of hosting conferences here. Their efforts include strengthening programs to support hosting conventions and promoting events through various platforms.
“We are happy to keep the top position for two years in a row. An international conference participant in 2017 spent an average of $2,941 per person, which is twice as much as what an ordinary tourist spends. We will continue to make efforts in improving our services to keep satisfying convention participants,” an official of the Korea Tourism Organization said.