Prague has strengthened its position as one of the world’s leading destinations for international meetings after ranking sixth globally in the latest International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings. The Czech capital also announced a new unified tourism brand that brings business and leisure travel together under a single identity for the first time.
According to data from the Czech Statistical Office and the Prague Convention Bureau, the city hosted more than 5,000 events in 2025, attracting over 850,000 delegates. International events accounted for 43% of all meetings, with the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France and Switzerland emerging as Prague’s key source markets.
The ICCA ranking evaluated 4,728 cities worldwide. Prague maintained its place among the world’s top 10 meeting destinations despite growing competition from other cities investing heavily in attracting major congresses and conferences. Lisbon ranked first this year, followed by Paris and Barcelona.
Data from the Prague Convention Bureau showed the strongest growth came from smaller events with between 50 and 500 delegates. Prague also hosted more than 50 major congresses, conferences and corporate events with over 1,000 attendees.
Among the city’s largest events in 2025 were the 47th Congress of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN), which attracted more than 4,700 delegates, and the 25th World Congress of Psychiatry (WPC), attended by over 3,400 experts from 117 countries.
Prague’s meeting industry continued to be dominated by one-day events, while the average event duration approached two days.
“Competition among meeting destinations has been growing for a long time, and not only the quality of infrastructure, but also the ability of cities to actively acquire major international events plays an increasingly important role. Today, destinations around the world are investing heavily in acquisition activities and the acquisition of congresses and conferences through their convention bureaus,” said Roman Muška, director of the Prague Convention Bureau.
Muška said Prague’s future competitiveness would depend heavily on the planned expansion of the Prague Congress Centre. Construction is due to begin in June 2026 and is expected to finish in 2029.
The city is also overhauling how it presents itself internationally by combining leisure and business tourism under a single tourism brand. Prague City Tourism is leading the rebranding of the Prague Convention Bureau and launching the first international campaign as part of the strategy.
“A consistent, joined-up presentation is absolutely fundamental if cities want to compete on the world stage these days. A strong identity pulls its weight not just in leisure tourism, but also when you’re going after major congresses, conferences, and the kind of high-value clients cities really want to attract,” said Tomáš Slabihoudek, Prague councilor for culture and tourism.
The branding project forms part of Prague’s 2024–2027 tourism strategy, which aims to reposition the city as a premium destination focused on culture, quality and high-value visitors.
“Prague has spent several years systematically trying to shake off its image as a cheap, mass-market destination and to be seen as a city of culture, quality, and exceptional genius loci. Business tourism fits into that naturally. Congress visitors don’t just have a higher spend; they also bring expertise, contacts, and international prestige,” said Jana Adamcová, vice-chair of the Prague City Tourism board.
On the business tourism side, Prague’s new branding draws inspiration from historical figures linked to the city, including Johannes Kepler, Albert Einstein, Christian Doppler and Ernst Mach. Officials said the campaign aims to position Prague as a destination where creativity, science and innovation have long intersected.
The first campaign launched under the new branding carries the tagline “unconventional conventions” and promotes Prague as a premium destination for congresses, conferences and business events.
“Prague starts from a very strong position in the congress industry and has a solid track record of pulling in major international events. But to keep moving forwards, we need to present ourselves abroad in a way that is coherent and easy to read – not just as a well-connected, professionally equipped city, but as one with an extraordinary professional, cultural, and creative pedigree,” said Roman Muška, director of the Prague Convention Bureau.
