Newly released ICCA statistics reveal that Serbia is climbing the ranks faster than any other European destination. In 2010, Serbia hosted 46 meetings to take the 43rd position in the world. Just three years earlier, Serbia had only 11 meetings and was in 64th place.

Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, now ranks 28th among the approximately 200 convention destinations listed for Europe with 33 international congresses in 2010. Belgrade is now hosting a similar number of meetings as cities like Glasgow, Florence, Goteborg and Hamburg.

Serbia’s Convention Bureau (SCB) began operations in 2007, at which point Serbia was hosting relatively few international meetings. Bureau CEO, Milos Milovanovic said that the positive results that have been achieved over the past three years are due to a number of factors.

“First, the industry in Belgrade and Serbia are much more unified in our market approach and delivery. That is helping the Sava Centar, PCOs and the SCB to attract more meetings to our country. Second, there’s more interest in Serbia now as part of a growing interest among associations to stage meetings in Eastern Europe. Third, it doesn’t hurt that Belgrade is the largest capital city in the Balkans and that the Sava Centar is one of the largest convention centers in Eastern Europe.”

A recent survey by M&IT Magazine showed that Belgrade is a high value destination. It showed that the venue cost at Belgrade’s major venue, the Sava Centar, is less than half the price of the main venues in many other European cities. In addition, the Economist Intelligence Unit eiu.com ranks Serbia as one of the least expensive countries in Europe in terms of the costs of goods and services.

In 2007, both Belgrade and Serbia were second to last among the ICCA rankings of city and national destinations in Eastern Europe. The new figures show that Belgrade is now the fourth busiest city in Eastern Europe, behind Budapest, Prague and only slightly trailing Vilnius. Serbia is now almost equal to Russia and Croatia, while still playing catch-up on Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.

“We are excited by these results and feel that Serbia will continue to grow,” Milovanovic said. “Plus, we are getting a lot of attention now. Last year, for instance, the Sunday Times called Belgrade ‘Europe’s New Capital of Cool.’ We also want people to know that we are also one of Europe’s new capitals of conventions.

more information: http://www.scb.travel/