EMITT 2016: Thessaloniki Hoteliers Show Best to Turkish Travel Agents

Aiming to attract more Turkish tourists to Thessaloniki this year, the northern city’s hotel association examined ways to expand partnerships with travel agencies in Turkey during this year’s East Mediterranean Tourism and Travel Exhibition – EMITT, which ran January 28-31 in Istanbul.

Thessaloniki stand at EMITT 2016 – From left to right: Maria Theofanopoulou, GTP’s president and CEO; Manolis Soultanopoulos, Greek Consulate representative; Maria Rachmanidou, head of the GNTO Turkey branch; Aristotelis Thomopoulos, Thessaloniki Hotels Association’s president; and Evdokia Tsatsouri, Thessaloniki Hotels Association’s marketing director.

“Thessaloniki is one of the most popular Greek destinations for Turkish travellers and it is necessary to continue our efforts to expand the incoming tourism numbers from this country,” Thessaloniki Hotels Association (THA) President Aristotelis Thomopoulos said in announcement.

The association once again participated in the exhibition with its own stand and focused this year on promoting Thessaloniki as a city break destination and as an ideal starting point for excursions through northern Greece.

During EMITT, a number of meetings took place between Thessaloniki hoteliers and Turkish travel agents during which cooperations were renewed and new partnerships discussed.

Photo source: Thessaloniki Hotels Association

For the past five years, Thessaloniki has been attracting a large influx of travelers from Turkey ranking them among the countries with the most overnight stays in the city’s hotels. Thessaloniki’s comparative advantages for Turkish travellers include proximity, easy access, the common past that connects the two countries and the similar entertainment habits.

“After the recent terrorist attacks that unfortunately happened in other countries as well as in neighboring Turkey, safety plays a key role in choosing travel destinations worldwide”, Mr Thomopoulos said.

“Thessaloniki has all the requirements and must maintain and boost its reputation abroad as an attractive, safe and value for money destination for tourists.”

On the sidelines of EMITT 2016, Mr Thomopoulos and members of the association attended the presentation of the official campaign of the Mount Athos Area Organization which focuses on the history of Sidirokafsia, a settlement of eastern Halkidiki. The presentation took place at the Sismanglio Megaron in Istanbul in collaboration with the Greek National Tourism Organization Turkey branch and the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB).