BARCELONA.- Best European destination for congresses and meetings 2017.

BARCELONA has once again received the WTA award as the best European destination for congress and meeting tourism organization. It is the third time it has been granted in the last four years. In this edition, it has had to compete with other localities that also enjoy great capacity of organization and emblematic venues.

Of the candidacies of this 2017, stand out cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris or Vienna. Precisely the French capital was the winner of the previous edition, just after Barcelona repeated twice consecutive.

The World Travel Awards™ is the most prestigious, comprehensive and sought-after awards programme in the global travel and tourism industry. To be voted a World Travel Award™ winner is an accolade which many strive for but few achieve.

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year, World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.

World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities in the travel industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries and international print and broadcast media.

For more information about World Travel Awards, please visit the official website,

Barcelona is consolidating itself as a global shopping destination.

The top spots are held by visitors from Argentina, followed by the Chinese, Russians, Koreans, Americans and Israelis (who are growing strongly).

The increase in spending by Russian tourists also stands out, even though the Chinese are consolidating their place in the historical list as the nationality that spends the most. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan occupy the third and fourth places for nationalities that spend the most per purchase. Top spot for this indicator up to August is, surprisingly, held by Mauritania.

In 1999 the local tourist board, Turisme de Barcelona, set up the Barcelona Shopping Line office to promote the city internationally as a shopping destination. This includes a 5 km network of the most emblematic shopping streets.

International recognition for Barcelona, its tourist sector and its efforts to boost the city’s profile: the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has selected and ratified Turisme de Barcelona to be part of the Board of the Affiliate Members for the next four years.

Over the next few years, Turisme de Barcelona will work on achieving the goals set by the international organization regarding the promotion of sustainable and rewarding tourism in the communities and territories of the associate members where tourist activity takes place.

Joan Gaspart, the executive president of Turisme de Barcelona, will represent the Consortium on this body that determines the functioning of this international organisation which is part of the UN and is responsible for ensuring the proper operation and development of tourism around the world.

Barcelona has become one of the main destinations in Europe and the world to celebrate a wide range of events. The city has hosted an annually growing congress activity given the quality of its services and its cosmopolitan character. Thousands of attendants to international congresses like, the World Mobile Congress, or specific fairs like the IBTM had already enjoyed the features and the quality of the services that Avant Grup has provided to each of the organizing agencies.