Thessaloniki’s Tourism Boom Set to Continue

Aerial panorama of Thessaloniki, Greece. The waterfront features the White Tower and the cityscape by the sea. Photo source: Thessaloniki Tourism Organization

Tourism in the Greek northern city of Thessaloniki has come a long way over the last decade, the president of the city’s tourism organization, Voula Patoulidou, said on Tuesday.

Aiming to highlight Thessaloniki as a top winter city break destination to Athenians, the organization held a presentation of Greece’s second largest city for journalists in the Greek capital.

During the presentation, Patoulidou highlighted the progress Thessaloniki has made over the last years to be included among world tourism destinations.

Indicatively, this August proved to be a particularly strong month for tourism in Thessaloniki, with the average occupancy rate of the city’s hotels reaching 90 percent.

Thessaloniki Tourism Organization President and Vice Governor of the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki, Region of Central Macedonia, Voula Patoulidou

“Thessaloniki went from an empty city in July and August ten years ago, to a vibrant city break destination today,” the president of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization said, adding that the average occupancy of the city’s hotels from 50 percent in 2010 stands at 75 percent today, a figure that is actually higher given the addition of new hotel units in the city. Today, Thessaloniki counts some 150 hotels, with a capacity of 15,000 hotel beds. Adding beds of Airbnb-type accommodations (some 4,000), Thessaloniki counts almost 20,000 beds.

Moreover, according to the organization’s data, in 2010 the city recorded 1.5 million overnight stays, a number that today exceeds 4 million, of which 2 million are foreign travelers.

City break destination

During her speech, Patoulidou presented the advantages of Thessaloniki as a tourism destination, which include the fact that it boasts 15 UNESCO monuments; the city’s port is in unique location giving cruise passengers the opportunity to simply walk to a number of the city’s hotspots; and the proximity of the city to nearby destinations such as Halkidiki, Mount Athos, Olympus, various ski resorts and areas of natural beauty.

She also highlighted the inclusion of Thessaloniki as a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for offering a creative gastronomy scene.

“This is a particularly important development as it strengthens the tourism identity of the city, making it an important culinary and cultural destination,” she said.

According to a visitor profile study released in May by the Thessaloniki Hotels Association in collaboration with GBR Consulting, 97 percent of Thessaloniki’s tourists would recommend the city as a destination and 95 percent would visit again.

“Our vision is to make Thessaloniki, the metropolis of Northern Greece, a unique and modern citybreak destination, but also a center of tourist traffic in the surrounding area,” she said.

Cooperation is key

Thessaloniki Tourism Organization President and Vice Governor of the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki, Region of Central Macedonia, Voula Patoulidou (second from left); Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry representative, Haris Alexopoulos; Thessaloniki Deputy Mayor of Tourism and Thessaloniki Tourism Organization Deputy President, Maria Karagianni; Thessaloniki Professional Chamber VP and Thessaloniki Tourism Organization Treasurer, Chrysa Granouzi; and Thessaloniki Port Chief Commercial Officer & Director of Strategic Communications, Theodora Riga.

Patoulidou highlighted that Thessaloniki owes its tourism success to its cooperation with regional authorities and local government.

“While it’s difficult today to achieve partnerships in Greece, the best way to upgrade the identity of a destination internationally is to enter into partnerships and synergies,” she said, highlighting joint actions launched by the organization in cooperation with the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the ThPA SA – Port of Thessaloniki to name a few.

The organization also has partnerships with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB) and the Union of Tourist Guides Thessaloniki among others.

Direct air connections are essential

During the presentation it was highlighted that one of Thessaloniki’s major assets for boosting its tourism appeal are the many direct air connections with other domestic and foreign destinations. The city this year is directly connected to a total of 117 foreign destinations in 35 countries through 73 routes operated by 53 different airlines. Accordingly, there is a daily connection with Athens with 22 daily routes.

Moreover, Thessaloniki also recorded significant growth this year in arrivals from road tourism, which for the first half of the year increased by 50 percent compared to last year, with 3.6 million arrivals from 2.4 million in the corresponding period of 2022.

MICE destination

The 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, Greece’s premier cruising and yachting conference, was held in April in Thessaloniki and welcomed over 40 exhibitors and 60 high-profile speakers.

As far as conference tourism is concerned, some 350 conferences will be held in Thessaloniki this year, half of which are international organizations. According to data by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), the northern Greek city in 2023 ranked 39th on the list of destinations with the most pan-European conferences and 70th on the world list. The city has 19 venues suitable for the organization of conferences, while 37 of its hotels are fully equipped to host events and meetings.

Cruise tourism is gaining ground

Another development pillar for Thessaloniki is cruise tourism. This year, 68 ships from 13 cruise lines will sail to the city’s port which from this summer now welcomes two cruise ships at the same time. Moreover, over the last two years several cruise companies have chosen Thessaloniki as their home port for itineraries.

Concluding her speech, Patoulidou added that a main advantage of Thessaloniki is also the friendliness of its residents.

“The idiosyncrasy of Thessaloniki’s people make it a lively city that never sleeps and on holidays sees its streets filled with people who dance and sing until dawn,” the president of the city’s tourism organization said.