Thessaloniki and Halkidiki Shine at ΙΜΤΜ Tourism Expo in Israel

Halkidiki Tourism Organization Director Giorgos Broutzas with Thessaloniki Tourism Organization President Voula Patoulidou. Photo source: Halkidiki Tourism Organization

The popularity of northern Greece’s Thessaloniki and Halkidiki as holiday destinations for Israeli travelers was obvious during the 29th International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) recently held in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Considered one of largest annual international professional tourism fairs, IMTM this year saw more than 25,000 visitors and 1,760 exhibitors from 52 countries.

During the exhibition, the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization (TTO) representatives held B2B meetings with Israeli tourism market stakeholders, including executives of the Israeli airline Sun d’Or (wholly owned subsidiary of El Al), which directly connects Tel Aviv with Thessaloniki. During a welcoming dinner hosted in honor of Sun d’or’s Greek partners, the airline’s CEO, Gal Gershon, met with TTO President Voula Patoulidou and her team and discussed in detail further actions to strengthen the promotion of Thessaloniki to the Israeli market.

The Thessaloniki Tourism Organization delegation. Photo source: TTO

“The Israeli tourism market is one of our most important targeted markets,” Patoulidou said.

TTO’s president was also interviewed by i24news journalist and TV hostess Emily Frances whose show “Holy Land Uncovered” is one of the most popular televisionshows in Israel.

“Besides the historical and cultural links between the Hebrew community and Thessaloniki, Israeli tourists love the city and what it can offer them,” she added.

Patoulidou also met with Greek Ambassador to Israel Kyriakos Loukakis and Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis.

Halkidiki

Halkidiki Tourism Organization Director Giorgos Broutzas.

The Halkidiki Tourism Organization (HTO) also participated in the IMTM with its own stand that was manned by Giorgos Broutzas (director) and included a team of tourism professionals from Halkidiki that contributed to the destination’s promotion.

During IMTM, Broutzas attended pre-arranged meetings with Israeli tour operators and promoted the destination’s comparative advantages and informed on the Halkidiki-Thessaloniki joint travel packages that are available for travelers looking to discovering the beauties of northern Greece.

Israel top market for Thessaloniki in 2022

Israeli visitors to Thessaloniki last year made 126,247 overnight stays, topping the list of the destination’s leading international source markets for 2022.

Almost 190,000 Israeli tourists travelled to Thessaloniki’s International Airport in 2019 with 2022 recouping 76 percent of pre-covid figures.

THE IMTM venue in Israel. Photo source: HTO.

According to tour operators at IMTM, early bookings for 2023 are expected to exceed 2019 levels, with Israelis choosing Thessaloniki and Halkidiki for their safety, nature-related activities, sun-drenched beaches and gastronomy. A peninsula in northern Greece, Halkidiki is located some 41.7 km from Thessaloniki.