Action Plan for the tourist development of the destination "Thessaloniki"

The two-year strategic plan and action plan for the tourism development of Thessaloniki was presented on Wednesday, October 9 by the Mayor of Thessaloniki and President of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, Mr. Stelios Angeloudis, in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Elena Rapti, the representative of Democratic Patriotic Movement "Niki"  Mr. Dimitrioς Giouzelis, and representatives of the sector.

In his speech, the president of  TTO, the mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, stated that from the first moment the need for the organization to operate more professionally, with a coherent plan, with measurable results was established. "For this reason we prioritized the creation of an integrated strategic plan for the development of the destination, combined with its targeted promotion to enhance its recognition. This plan is the basic foundation to build a sustainable tourist destination, which welcomes visitors twelve months of the year", he emphasized and added: "From the next day of Tourism in Thessaloniki, no one can be absent. The main ingredient of success is cooperation, assertiveness and determination. All together, we join forces, we operate based on a specific plan, we dare a creative restart, with one voice, to travel our Thessaloniki to the whole world".

The two plans were studied by Deloitte Business Solutions S.A., in collaboration with the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (SETE), its Institute (INSETE) and Marketing Greece on behalf of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization and the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

In the greeting addressed by Mr. Dimitrios Giuzelis, as the head of the Tourism Thematic Group of NIKIS and founder of Thessaloniki Tourism, he initially congratulated the Mayor of Thessaloniki for the initiative, since, as he mentioned, the previous Mayors of the city never took seriously the issue of the tourism development of Thessaloniki and wished success in the project.

Then, addressing the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Elena Rapti, he criticized the fact that Thessaloniki is the poor relative of the country's tourism development, because no government took care of its tourism development and promotion.

He emphasized that the bet for Thessaloniki is the extension of the tourist season for the whole year and its recognition abroad. The mitigation of seasonality, he stressed, can be achieved when we promote our tourist product in a targeted and not uncontrolled way, in groups with specific characteristics such as for example:

a. To senior tourists both from inside and outside the EU. which is easier to travel all year round.

b. To tourists from countries, basically, outside the EU (e.g. China, Japan, USA, Canada), where the institutional and climatic factors shape, in fact, off-peak tourist demand for destinations like Greece.

The problem of Thessaloniki, he said, is its lack of recognition in many large countries - foreign tourist markets (USA, China, Canada), because the governments in Greece did not take care to promote and strengthen the Brand of our beloved Thessaloniki, the city with a long history, with many important monuments and museums, abroad.

He also proposed the connection and global promotion of Thessaloniki, with three thematic axes:

a. With its 15 monuments that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and are an attraction for tourists all over the world.

b. With Alexander the Great and the history of Macedonia which throughout time captivates all people and is a point of interest, especially for attracting visitors from America, China, Japan and Australia.

c. With the Apostle of the Nations Paul, who is a top form of Christianity and the Steps of the Apostle Paul will bring to Thessaloniki and Greece thousands of visitors from distant countries. The 1st and 2nd Epistles to Thessalonians of the Apostle Paul are the first two written texts of the New Testament and are a very important fact that we should highlight.

Finally, he proposed to the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Ageloudis, a successful recipe that he applied as an executive of the Municipality of Thessaloniki 16 years ago, when, on his own initiative and coordination, the Municipality organized with great success, "Tourist education and awareness" seminars for  Thessaloniki TAXI drivers.