Israeli, US, and German Travelers to Thessaloniki Rise in 2019

Israelis, Americans, and Germans were at the top of the list of international travelers to Thessaloniki in 2019 marking a 22.65 percent, 7.28 percent, and 0.66 percent rise, respectively, according to data released by the Thessaloniki Hotels Association (THA).

Also increasing in numbers last year were visitors from Bulgaria, Albania, Spain, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.

On the downside, the number of Greek and Cypriot travelers declined by 3.40 percent and 10.92 percent, respectively in 2019.

In terms of foreign markets, travelers from Romania, Italy, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, Britain, France, Netherlands, Poland, and Australia, also dropped last year.

Overall overnight stays down, RevPAR up in 2019

Overall, the THA report found 2019 to be down by 15,255 overnight stays to 2,442,050 compared to 2,400,655 in 2018.

The report refers to a significant rise by 56,650 overnight stays to 75,044 in 2019 against 18,394 in 2018 made by travelers from Syria as well as from Asian and African countries, in large part refugees and immigrants accommodated at Thessaloniki hotels through international migration programs.

Thessaloniki hotels are still behind competitors in terms of revenue per available room (RevPAR) and ARR (average room rate). According to data released this week by GBR Consulting on behalf of the THA, RevPAR for Thessaloniki hotels came to 55.23 euros in 2019, up by 4.3 percent against 2018 with ARR up by 3.6 percent.

However, the northern port city is still last among 10 rival European cities – Antwerp, Birmingham, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Budapest, Hamburg, Manchester, and Salzburg.