The 86th TIF brought high occupancy in the hotels and increased turnover in catering

The 86th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) and its more than 212,000 visitors brought high occupancy rates in Thessaloniki’s hotels, especially on weekends, as well as increased turnover in restaurants, taverns, bars and cafes in specific areas, giving hospitality and catering businesses the of the city center even a temporary “respite” in a period of increased operating costs, due to inflationary pressures and the energy crisis.

On the contrary, the city’s shops barely benefited (according to representatives of the sector) from the turnover of 40-50 million euros, which is estimated to be generated every year in Thessaloniki by the general exhibition in September (s.b. based on international calculations, the revenues of the regions that host major exhibition events are at least ten times the net turnover of the exhibition itself, which in the case of TIFs is estimated at around 4 million euros. , which is estimated to generate a significant percentage of TIF-Helexpo SA’s turnover each year).

In more detail, it is estimated that 90% were occupied in the hotels of Thessaloniki during the two weekends of the 86th TIF, with guests being both Greek visitors to the event and foreigners, while on weekdays the corresponding percentage reached approximately 80%, as the president of the Hoteliers’ Union (EXTH), Andreas Mandrinos, explained to the Athens Agency. He clarified, however, that these are only the first estimates of the impact of the event on the city’s hotel units, as the official figures for both overnight stays and the distribution of them by hotel category will be collected at the end of September.

The assessment that “the focus “went well” during the TIF”, but only in the area of ​​the historic center and the Old Beach (from the port to the White Tower), was expressed by the president of the Restaurant Association, speaking to the Athens Agency , Steakhouses and Cafe-Bars of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, Ioannis Filokostas. As he said, the visitors of the 86th TIF were absorbed almost exclusively in this small part of the city, where the turnovers of the catering establishments were estimated to have increased by 30%-40% compared to the rest of the days of this year’s September (p.s. TEF was held between 11 and 18 of the month), while restaurants and taverns outside the center did not see any positive impact from the event. The stores in the district, he claims, do not benefit at all, but even in the center of Thessaloniki “we could have much better sizes if there were no fumes and chemicals every year”. And the increase in traffic, he adds, is always welcome, but it does not make a big difference to the profitability of businesses in the sector, when the cost of energy is so high this year and raw materials are 20%-30% more expensive on average, with markups reaching 50% or even 100% on some items.

“Once again, the clothing and footwear stores did not work during the exhibition, once again the bet of stimulating the commercial market of Thessaloniki on the occasion of TIF was not won” noted the president of the Trade Association (ETH) of the city, Pantelis Filippidis, arguing that for the city’s shops, the ETH is “as if it never happened”.

RES-EMP

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