日本政府観光局（JNTO）によりますと、2019年に日本で開催された国際会議の参加者数総数は前年比8.4％増の199万3790人となり、このうち外国人参加者数は1.8％増の21万3394人でした。参加者総数は2014年（199万5366人）、外国人参加者数は2016年（21万6022人）に次ぐ、ともに過去2番目多さです。国際会議の件数は5.5％増の3621件で過去最高となりました。JNTOは「コロナ禍による会議のオンライン化などの最新動向や主催者ニーズを把握した上で、今後も日本での開催を目指し、誘致促進を強化したい。」としています。開催都市別では1位東京23区（561件）、2位神戸市（438件）、3位京都市（383件）と続き、トップ10内の都市は前年と同じでした。外国人参加者数50人以上、かつ参加者総数300人以上の中・大型国際会議は前年比1.5％増の471件と全体に占める割合は1割強ですが、参加者数全体で約5割、外国人参加者数では6割を超えるなど、訪日外客拡大への貢献度が高い状況です。北九州で開催された第12回アジア制御会議（参加者総数 1950 人、うち外国人参加者数 1200人）など、地域の特性を活かした大型会議の誘致によって地域活性化・国際化に成果を上げた事例もありました。
The number of international conferences in Japan reaches a record high for the eighth consecutive year in 2019 with attendance nears 2 million
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the total number of participants at international conferences held in Japan in 2019 increased by 8.4 percent to 1,993,790, of which 213,394 were foreign participants, up 1.8 percent from the previous year. The total number of participants and the number of foreign participants were both the second-highest on record, behind 2014 (1,995,366) and 2016 (216,022) respectively.
The number of international conferences increased by 5.5% to a record high of 3,621, and JNTO claims, "We will continue to strengthen our efforts, based on our understanding of the latest trends, such as the transition to online conferences due to the COVID-19 situation, and the needs of the organizers. We aim to enhance the promotion of the conference to be held in Japan in the future."
In terms of host city, Tokyo's 23 wards (561), Kobe (438), and Kyoto (383) came in first, followed by the same cities in the top 10 as last year. The number of medium to large international conferences with more than 50 foreign participants and a total of 300 or more attendees increased by 1.5% over the previous year to 471, accounting for more than 10% of the total, which made a significant contribution to increasing the number of foreign visitors to Japan, with about 50% of the total number of participants and more than 60% of the total number of foreign participants.
The 12th Asian Control Conference held in Kita-Kyushu (total number of participants: 1950, including 1,200 foreign participants) is another successful example of regional revitalization and internationalization by attracting large conferences that utilized regional characteristics.