Business Travel: Paris Region Confirms Global Leadership


Paris Île-de-France conserve une position de premier plan sur le marché du tourisme d’affaires - Depositphotos.com, Funtap

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Despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties, business tourism in Île-de-France is showing solid indicators.

The CCI Paris Île-de-France has just published its 2026 assessment focused on the activity of the region’s main exhibition parks and convention centers.

With 24 major sites representing nearly 700,000 m² of covered exhibition space, Paris Île-de-France offers the leading European supply of infrastructures dedicated to professional encounters.


362 trade shows and 7 million visitors in 2025

In 2025, the 24 main Île-de-France sites hosted 362 trade shows, drawing together 100,487 exhibiting companies and 7 million visitors.

According to the CCI, these events generated 4.1 billion euros in economic impact for the Île-de-France region. Exchanges between exhibitors and visitors, meanwhile, accounted for 18.2 billion euros in turnover.

Beyond trade shows, congress activity also contributes to the economic weight of the business tourism sector in the region. Paris thus rose to the second place in the ICCA ranking of cities hosting the most international congresses in 2025.

Throughout the year, the capital and its region hosted 1,200 congresses, for a total of 716,195 delegates. International visitors represented 18.6% of participants. This activity generated 942 million euros in economic impact, according to data released by the CCI Paris Île-de-France.

Île-de-France infrastructures are not limited to trade shows and congresses. In 2025, they also hosted 1,204 other events, including corporate events, shows, cultural and sporting gatherings, examinations, training sessions and other meetings.

These events brought together 2.5 million participants. Overall, this confirms the sector’s weight in the regional tourism economy, particularly for hotels, dining, retail and transportation.


Major professional events support activity in 2026

The first available indicators for 2026 remain favorable, notably in the international congress segment.

More than 10 major international congresses, each drawing over 5,000 participants, are scheduled or have taken place this year. Among them are notably JFHOD, EuroPCR, ISTH, SFO, IPEM and the congress of ADF, as well as the congress of the French Society of Rheumatology.

The trade show sector also continued its progression in the first half of 2026. Several large-scale events helped sustain this dynamic, among them Wine Paris, VivaTech, Eurosatory, JEC World, Global Industrie, Who’s Next and Paris Packaging Week.

The trend is nonetheless less uniform on the consumer/public events side. The CCI reports more nuanced attendance results, despite growth in the number of exhibitors and net occupied space compared with the previous year.


A calendar already favorable for 2027

The prospects remain positive for 2027 as well, with several major international events already scheduled, including IMCAS, JEPU and COGI.

For Dominique Restino, president of CCI Paris Île-de-France, the sector’s results testify to its economic weight for the region.

Trade shows, congresses and professional events generate billions of euros in economic spillovers,” he notes, also highlighting their contribution to employment and the international visibility of Île-de-France.


Amelia Brille Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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Amara Nambinga

Amara Nambinga

I write about tourism, culture, and emerging destinations with a Namibian perspective. Through my articles, I try to highlight the places, people, and travel stories that show how Africa and the wider world are changing.