Spain and Portugal are among the strongest destinations in Europe for meetings and incentive travel. Good airports, a wide choice of venues and hotels, and a culture of hospitality make them easy places to run a corporate programme.
This guide explains what MICE and bleisure mean, why the two countries rank so high, and how an incoming DMC plans programmes for corporate groups.
What MICE means
MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and events. It covers everything from a board retreat to an incentive trip for a sales team or a congress with several hundred delegates. Our MICE and incentive programmes are planned around the client’s goals, budget and dates.
Why Spain and Portugal rank so high
The 2025 ICCA city ranking placed Lisbon first in the world, with Paris second and Barcelona third. Spain ranked fourth among countries, and Portugal also made the top ten.
The business behind the numbers is significant. According to Spain’s FEMP, meetings tourism in Spain attracted 10.6 million visitors and generated about 14,800 million euros in 2025.
What is bleisure?
Bleisure combines business and leisure travel. Delegates add a day or two of sightseeing to a congress, or a company builds free time and local experiences into a meeting. It works well in cities such as Madrid and Porto, where heritage, food and wine are close to the venues.
What a DMC organises for a MICE group
- Venues and hotels: meeting rooms, congress centres, gala dinner venues and negotiated group rates.
- Transport: airport transfers, coaches sized to the group and shuttles between venues.
- Programmes: team-building, excursions and pre- and post-event tours.
- Food and wine: tastings, cooking experiences and group dinners, see our wine and gastronomy tours.
- On-site support: an operations team reachable while the group travels, including outside office hours.
Ideas for incentive and bleisure programmes
- Heritage day trip: a half-day or full-day excursion from the host city, such as a group tour to Toledo from Madrid.
- Gastronomy experience: a winery visit, a market tour or a cooking workshop.
- Coast or countryside: a short route through a nearby region to change the pace after the meetings.
- Gala dinner in a special venue: a palace, cellar or historic building chosen to match the theme of your event.
Planning tips
- Start early. Venues and hotels in the main cities fill up for peak dates, so share your dates as soon as they are set.
- Share a clear brief. Group size, budget, objectives and any must-haves help us send an accurate proposal.
- Add free time. Leave space in the agenda for delegates to explore, which is the core of bleisure.
To plan a MICE or incentive programme in Spain or Portugal, send us your group brief. We reply with a costed proposal, and complex MICE programmes usually take up to 72 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What does MICE stand for?
MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and events. A DMC plans the venues, hotels, transport and programmes for these corporate groups on the ground.
Why choose Spain or Portugal for MICE?
Both are established congress destinations. In the 2025 ICCA city ranking, Lisbon came first and Barcelona third, and Spain ranked fourth among countries, with Portugal also in the top ten.
What is bleisure?
Bleisure combines business and leisure travel, for example a congress followed by a few days of sightseeing. A DMC can add pre- and post-event tours to any meeting.
Can you organise pre- and post-congress tours?
Yes. We plan excursions, gastronomy experiences and short routes around your event dates, for delegates and accompanying guests.
How quickly will we receive a MICE proposal?
Complex MICE and incentive programmes usually take up to 72 hours. Urgent requests are prioritised, so mention your deadline in the brief.
What group sizes do you work with?
We work with groups from 8 travellers, from small VIP parties to coach groups and conferences of several hundred delegates.
Have another question about MICE in Spain and Portugal? Visit our full FAQ page or contact our team, and we will reply within 24 hours.
Data: ICCA 2025 rankings (reported by AMI and Catalonia.com) and FEMP via Europa Press, 2026.