Seoul Selected as 'World's Best MICE City'... Awarded for 7 Consecutive Years

Selected by Business Travel Magazine 'Global Traveler'
7 Consecutive Years of Exclusive Awards Since 2015

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul has been selected as the ‘World’s Best MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) City’ for seven consecutive years.

On the 15th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation announced that Seoul was chosen as the ‘Best MICE City of 2021’ by the global business travel magazine Global Traveler.

From 2015 to this year, Seoul has won this award exclusively for seven consecutive years, reaffirming its status as the top MICE city. Global Traveler, a business travel magazine, conducts an annual vote among 300,000 subscribers to select the best in categories such as MICE cities, airlines, and hotels through the ‘Global Traveler Reader Survey Award (GT Tested Reader Survey Award).’ The award, which started in 2004, marked its 18th edition this year.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government evaluated this award as the result of continuous efforts to explore the development direction of the MICE industry. In April, Seoul announced a ‘Comprehensive Plan for Transitioning to Hybrid MICE’ that combines advanced technology with the MICE industry. Through key projects such as supporting hybrid international conferences using non-face-to-face advanced technology, selecting and supporting exhibitions at different growth stages, and providing quarantine and insurance support for safe events, Seoul invested 2.1 billion KRW in a total of 117 MICE events.

Additionally, experts in legal, accounting, labor, and psychological fields were assigned to the ‘Seoul Tourism & MICE Enterprise Support Center’ to provide free professional consultations to companies and workers facing many difficulties due to COVID-19. Based on these efforts, despite the crisis caused by COVID-19, Seoul has achieved meaningful results by sweeping prestigious awards in the international MICE sector. The Seoul Convention Bureau, a dedicated MICE organization under the Seoul Tourism Foundation, was honored with a triple crown from international MICE organizations in recognition of its swift marketing response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the establishment of the 3D virtual event platform ‘Virtual Seoul.’

Furthermore, as a result of active attraction and promotional activities, Seoul successfully secured a total of 18 international conferences, including the ‘2025 World Neurology Congress’ (5,000 participants) and the ‘2024 International Electric Vehicle Symposium’ (3,000 participants). Next year, many international conferences, such as the ‘15th World Forestry Congress’ (10,000 participants), are expected to resume offline, attracting numerous participants including foreigners to Seoul.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “It is gratifying and pleasing that business travelers worldwide are recognizing Seoul as the best MICE city.” He added, “We will spare no effort to support the rapid recovery of the tourism and MICE industries, which have been stagnated due to COVID-19, and will further strengthen the safe image of ‘K-MICE Seoul.’”