In the … tourist residence map as a City Break destination, Thessaloniki enters with more and more dynamics, with the city attracting visitors for entertainment, gastronomy and shopping and receiving 7.8 in total satisfaction, as shown by the “GBP Profile” research, Consulting »on behalf of the Thessaloniki Hoteliers Association (EPA) and presented today at a relevant event.

“7.8 is a fairly satisfactory percentage that needs improvement, since before the Koronovi pandemic the overall evaluation of the city’s visitors exceeded 8,” said ETH President Andreas Mandrinos, and expressing his optimism for the immediate future.

For the results of this year’s survey, Mr Mandrinos noted that “in 2024 the hotels in the area seem to have maintained their high evaluation (8.7) both in terms of their facilities and in terms of the relationship between price/quality (8.2)”, but as he hastened to add “despite visiting visitors.

From Thessaloniki’s hotel infrastructure, as well as the increase of both average room price (ADR) and the revenue per available room (REVPAR), the image of hotels’ financial data has not changed at a European competitive level, since for another year Thessaloniki remained in the last place in terms of two other sizes in the comparative evaluation of the Benchmarking. size of European cities. “

Strategic Plan for Thessaloniki Tourism

The Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, during the event presented his strategy for the gradual evolution of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, based on the DMMO model (DMMO’s Destination Management and Promotion Strategy), while also focusing on the efforts of the city. Improvement is still large.

“We are trying to raise the city and the public space, but it needs to change 50% of the sidewalks and 60% of roads. There will be eight competitions for roads, sidewalks, asphalt. We have not yet addressed the issue of bulky waste, with the individual who will enter and the new machinery we will receive from next week will also improve in this area, ”he said and called on Fraport to re -examine its stance on the fare demands from the drivers.

At € 135 million the annual benefit of Thessaloniki’s direct connection with US

“Thessaloniki could earn € 135 million a year if the Destination Management and Promotion Mechanisms (DMMO) are proceeding,” the NTU president added, adding that “the city’s direct airline connection with the US is also an important issue, with the average expenditure of 90 euros.” He added that it could positively be able to improve the city’s sizes as a whole and the strengthening of exhibition tourism. “Today two and a half serious reports take place in the city. The TIF should not be hostage to small -party interests, “he said.

Positive developments in 2024 that allow optimism

There are many positive developments from this year’s survey compared to 2023, GBR Consultant’s Managing Consultant, Stefan Merkenhof, said, clarifying that it was carried out on a sample of 1,250 people.

“In 2024 compared to 2023, total passenger arrivals at Thessaloniki International Airport increased by 5%, with domestic arrivals rising by 7% and international by 4%,” he added, adding that road arrivals at the main entrance points of the bastion and the Evzonians. In addition, he noted that as of January 1, 2025, Bulgaria and Romania became full members of the Schengen area after a 13 -year wait.

Concerning the city’s sizes, he stressed that overnight stays in Thessaloniki’s hotels increased by 2% in 2024 compared to 2023, with those of foreigners showing an improvement of 4% of Greeks slightly fell by 1%.

The top three international markets for Thessaloniki in 2024 were the US, Turkey and Germany and recorded 15%, 39% and 5% increases, respectively, while on the other hand, a significant 32% decline in Israeli, due to the situation with conflicts in the region.

For the hotel potential of the Thessaloniki Regional Unit, he said that it remained stable and clarified that by the end of 2024, five international chains, 13 national and two local chains were present in the Thessaloniki market.

Why do visitors choose Thessaloniki?

For leisure reasons and lure in gastronomy, shopping and nightlife, traveled to Thessaloniki 58% of hotel visitors in Thessaloniki, with 10% using the city as an intermediate station for another destination and 17% stating that they visited friends and relatives. Travelers for work and conference visitors have 13% and 8% share, respectively.

The percentage of travelers who would recommend Thessaloniki and visit it again increased to 94% and 92%, respectively, with the entertainment and hospitality of city residents receiving their highest ratings, 8.6 and 8.5 respectively, and hotels and restaurants & bar/cafés 8.7 and 8.7.

On the contrary, visitors to public cleanliness (5.8) and the state of the roads and sidewalks (5.9), although the numbers are recorded for 2024 compared to the previous year. Travelers with specific accessibility needs evaluated the status of sidewalks and roads, with a score of 5.4.

Overnights in hotels and visitors’ profile

In 2024, 55% of overnight stays in hotels were held by foreign visitors and 45% by Greeks, compared to 54% and 46% respectively in 2023. Total nights increased by 2% compared to 2023.

The largest travel team that voted in 2024 Thessaloniki belongs to the age 36-45 (25%), with 33% of city visitors traveling with a partner and 23%, mainly for business reasons, while 41% said they came to the city for the first time.

Regarding the organized activities offered in the city to enhance the experience of visitors in Thessaloniki, the City Bus Tour were preferred by 20%and Walking Tours from 16%, followed by the gastronomic tours (10%). Other activities, such as tour of architecture, cycling tours and street art tours, remain more specialized, offering opportunities for further development. Concerts and cultural events were “voted” by 20% of city visitors, theatrical performances by 15% and 11%.

The daily expenditure per visitor to Thessaloniki (except for travel and residence costs) decreased to 87 euros in 2024, compared to € 92 in 2023, with purchases of 25 euros and food & drink at 26 euros. Expenditure on entertainment, sights and other categories remained stable.

Thessaloniki in relation to competing European cities

The completeness of Thessaloniki hotels, which reached 70.4% in 2024 compared to 68.6% in 2023 and 71.8% in 2019, is higher than that of Antwerp and Dusseldorf but the average room price (ADR) is at a lower level compared to other cities of competition. Edinburgh is in the first place in both indicators, showing high demand and strong prices over competition.

Indicatively, it was reported that in 2024 compared to 2019, Düsseldorf and Budapest were the cities with the largest reductions in completeness (-10.8% and -10.2% respectively), while Birmingham was the only city to increase.

In terms of fullness of the hotels, Thessaloniki fell a place and was in the ninth last year among 11 European cities. Although the city showed a significant improvement in April (+8) and October (+6), the lowest performance in months

Like May (-4), January (-2), August (-2) contributed to the overall reduction.

Airbnb injures competition

“Airbnb injures competition, we had called for the previous leadership of the finance ministry to bring some restrictions on the historic center of the city, for technical reasons,” said Thessaloniki Mayor Stelios Angeloudis.

The First Vice -President of the ECHR, Konstantinos Tornovoukas, spoke about an uncontrolled situation in the short -term lease, stressing that the city was filled with Airbnb under apartment buildings, in former stores, without a brake, even when it has been in Athens for a year.

For the situation with short -term leasing accommodation, GBR Consulting Managing Consultant, Stefan Merkenhof, stressed that they reach 4,600 units in Thessaloniki and said that “although 33% of managers have only one accommodation, the market is dominated by professional managers, with 44% of managers. exploiting more than five properties. ”