Montreal records third year as top host city in the Americas for international events

Montreal's conventions on hold For the third year, Montreal has been named a top city in the Americas for hosting conventions – but the pandemic is putting that on hold.

MONTREAL — For the third year in a row, Montreal has proved to be the top host city in the Americas.

According to the 2019 International Meetings Statistics Report, Montreal hosted 129 international events last year – outnumbering destinations like Toronto, Washington, and even New York. The report takes into account almost half a million events organized in 11,500 cities by more than 25,000 international organizations.

"Montréal has been enjoying a solid reputation in business tourism for many years, as well as enviable growth in organizing and hosting major events, business meetings and conferences,” Yves Lalumiere, the CEO of Tourisme Montreal, said in a statement on Monday.

Though a drop may be expected for the year 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parties who play a role in Montreal’s tourism scene – like Tourisme Montreal and le Palais des congres – are confident the city will maintain its top spot.

They say work hasn’t stopped amid the pandemic and that they’re working with organizers whose events were cancelled to offer them “the best possible options and terms" once travels resume, a statement reads.

“Just like its citizens, Montréal and the members of its business tourism community have been resilient and proactive in the face of the pandemic, so that once we have the green light from the national and international authorities, we may continue building on the momentum the city was experiencing,” Lalumiere said.

Montreal hosted 58 per cent of the country’s major events in 2019, according to the report, making it the dominant destination for international events in Canada. When it comes to competitors below the border, Montreal hosted 129 events in 2019 compared to New York’s 79 and Washington’s 61.