Deep blue beaches with crystal clear waters on a long, diverse coastline, famous local cuisine, breathtaking nature, culture, history. Yes, these descriptions are intertwined with Greece. But foreigners and especially German tourists usually when they say Greece they mean the Greek islands in the summer. However, the same options – and perhaps much more – in combination with mountains, cities with their own local history and traditional villages, have been offered for years by the region of eastern Macedonia and Thrace, which is quietly going through its own “golden age”. as he told us at the ITB International Tourism Exhibition in Berlin, which ended yesterday, Giorgos Sgouros, responsible for Tourism. Macedonia and Thrace: “If we can say something about eastern Macedonia and Thrace, it is that it looks like a mosaic of experiences. As a region, we can offer everything.”

From the oldest mountain range in Europe, the Rhodope, with rare species of flora and fauna, caves to culture and history, from the famous carnival of Xanthi to the archaeological site of Philippi near Kavala, north-eastern Greece hides “diamonds”. Like the two islands in the area, Thassos and Samothraki. The top destinations in the region are consistently Kavala and Thassos, but now Alexandroupolis, Xanthi with its Old Town and its famous syrups and of course Drama with its alternative tourism and its famous wineries with top labels that are sold in the international market. “Egnatia Odos, this ancient road, has made access to our area easy. The journey is pleasant and safe up to the border with Turkey”, says Mr. Sgouros speaking to DW.

Climbing in Meteora, hiking in Pelion, diving in Alonissos

But for good measure, Thessaly has also entered the European – and not only – tourist map in recent years. Not only with the cosmopolitan Skiathos or Skopelos from the movie “Mama mia”, but also with Pelion, ideal for mountain hiking with high-quality accommodation, the historic Trikala and the imposing Meteora or the steadily rising Plastira Lake. Thessaly is an alternative and combines many options. Thanasis Tsiaras from the region of Thessaly gives the picture: “It combines religious tourism, mountaineering, diving parks like in Alonissos. I want to believe that after ITB we will attract more tourists. The Germans prefer Thessaly, Meteora, the beaches of Larissa and Volos and I want to believe that we will have a further increase in the future.”

However, the concern and sadness in Thessaly about the future of railway connections in the region after the tragedy in Tempi is evident. The railway is the “backbone of Greece that connects Athens to Thessaloniki and from there to the Balkans and is directly connected to transport in the Thessaly region. “The prime minister announced that the electrification from Athens to Thessaloniki will be completed in three months. If this happens there will be safety on the railway, at the moment everything is manual”, Mr. Tsiaras tells DW.

Thessaloniki-Halkidiki go together

With joint representation in ITB, Halkidiki and Thessaloniki now “come down”, offering the tourist world common combined packages: Halkidiki in the summer and Thessaloniki in the winter. Thessaloniki may need no introduction for Greeks, but until a few decades ago it was not a common international tourist destination. This has changed, with the bulk of tourists coming from Israel and Germany. Maria Poulouktsi from the Thessaloniki Tourist Organization notes: “Thessaloniki deserves to be a tourist destination. It has 15 UNESCO monuments. It is the first city in Greece to be included in Unesco’s list of cities of gastronomy, and this should definitely redeem it.” As he told us, the majority of tourists come to Thessaloniki from Israel and Germany.

And in Halkidiki, 35% of tourists are German, according to Giorgos Brutzas, director of the Halkidiki tourist promotion organization. In fact, as he points out, the losses from Russian tourists, which in previous years reached 180,000, as well as Ukrainians (40,000), were compensated by the arrivals of German, Dutch and Scandinavian tourists. “Halkidiki was freed from the part of the Russian market. This year we had around 12,000 Russian tourists, who come mainly via Istanbul and Nicosia”, adds Mr Brutjas.

The special case of Epirus

However, if one wants to talk with tangible examples and success stories about the extension of the tourist season in Greece or the new “top” winter destinations, the reference to Epirus is imperative. Access to this inaccessible area may once have been difficult, but now the Ionian Way has drastically changed the situation.

As Dimitris Handras, a hotelier from Tzoumerka, told us, in recent years Epirus is actually experiencing this “turn” in Greece’s tourist profile, which everyone is talking about. Epirus offers a lot to travelers: “From Parga, Sivota and Preveza in the Ionian to its mountainous massifs, Tzoumerka, Zagori, Metsovo and of course there is also the intense life of the city in Ioannina”.

In Tzoumerka, foreign tourists come mainly from Israel, Germany and the Netherlands, Mr. Handras tells us, and those who come to Epirus for vacation return to it with joy. However, the energy crisis in the cold mountainous areas of the region significantly increased costs this winter and “forced” businessmen and customers. However, as Dimitris Handras explains, the losses were manageable. “They were balanced with both social tourism and the increased tourist demand now from abroad.”