Madrid is the capital of Spain (5.8 million people reside in the metropolitan area) and one of the 10 largest cities in Europe. So it’s not surprising that business travel in Madrid is a contender in the international meetings and business travel industries. During the last two decades it has undergone a tremendous transformation, expanding its overall infrastructure for convention and meeting facilities, transportation and special event venues.

Business Travel Video: Madrid

Madrid is a pleasant blend of an old European city and modern facilities. It includes 81 museums and 2,825 restaurants, and it seems as if all of these venues are available for various special events. Popular museums in Madrid include the Prado Museum, Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the Queen Sofia National Arte Centre Museum, among others, according to Teresa Gancedo Nieto, director of the Tourist Office of Spain, Chicago. And the city is filled with endless shopping opportunities – including arts and crafts – for spare time between scheduled meetings.

Madrid’s transportation infrastructure has played an important role in helping the city attract congresses and incentive programs: a fourth terminal has been added at Madrid Barajas Airport, the subway has been enlarged, and new four and five star hotels are planned for development, Gancedo Nieto explains. As of March 2008, the Madrid capital has 19 “five star” hotels and 111 “four star” hotels.

IFEMA is Madrid’s fairgrounds for large conventions and trade shows. In 2007, 80 fairs were held in Madrid for a total of 3.8 million visitors. Madrid is an urban tourism destination – and a definite option for hosting future international trade shows and conferences. And this helps make Madrid a contender in the international business events market. In fact, the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) identified Madrid as the third most popular congress city, and the Union of International Associations identified it as the seventh city in the world for convention tourism.

Madrid is a popular destination for those from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and the United States. In fact, according to data from the Tourist Office Of Spain business tourism has been steadily on the rise since 2000, nearly doubling from 1.4 million business visitors in 2000 to more than 2.7 million visitors in 2008.

2007 Madrid Statistics