Karagianni: The positive messages for the tourism of Thessaloniki
FROM THE PRINTED PUBLICATION OF “THESSALONIKI TYPE”
By MARIA KOUZOUFI
Moderate optimism is expressed by the municipality of Thessaloniki for the tourist traffic in the city of Thessaloniki this season. Although the proposals for the war and the energy crisis have called for a revision of the original objectives, the messages received from various quarters are considered positive and the belief that we will have a better year compared to 2021.
“We are moderately optimistic. Before all this was done with the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, we thought we would be very close to the levels of 2019. Now we have revised our goal but we will definitely be better than 2021. In 2021 we were at 50-58%, depending with the month, of the reservations of 2019. This year we have a serious belief based on the messages we receive, that we will do much better “, states characteristically speaking to “TyposThes” the deputy mayor of Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Thessaloniki Mrs. Maria Karagianni.
According to her, January and February were two bad tourist months for the city, however, from mid-March the picture began to improve. There started to be some reservations, mainly from Greeks, in the hotels of the city for the period of Easter and for May Day, but also from Italy, France and Serbia.
At the same time, according to the data from the recording of the flow of tourists made in the info kiosk of the municipality of Thessaloniki, it appears that there is tourist traffic from Germany, Austria and England, while we have many high bookings in short-term accommodation (Airbnb) in the city.
From the information we receive in combination, we see an increase in tourist traffic in the city and this makes us hope, says Ms. Karagianni.
Cruise and ferry connections
According to Ms. Karagianni, the news from the port of Thessaloniki and the cruise are very good, as, according to the TPA, there are currently 62 confirmed cruise ship arrivals, compared to 17 by 2021, of which about half are “Home port ». Some of them have more than a few hours to stay in the port.
“We have ships that will stay in the port for two or three days, which means that the cruise tourists will go out in the city, and the cafes that will get to know the city will go out, very important,” says Ms. Karagianni.
At the same time, for the summer, as last year, the mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas is in consultation with the mayor of Skiathos Thodoris Tzoumas “and according to Ms. Karagianni there is a promise that this year we have a ferry connection Thessaloniki – Sporades”, according to Ms. Karagianni. There will also be a connection with the service of the North Aegean.
The messages coming from TUI are very good, with the information saying that tourists love Thessaloniki and want to make it happen.
Promotion and the international media
Ms. Karagianni characterizes the messages from various international travel publications that suggest Thessaloniki as a destination very encouraging.
The Guardian’s recent article that places Thessaloniki among the 22 must see destinations in Europe is typical. As for the Hollywood film productions that are being shot in the city, the deputy mayor notes that it is very important for the promotion of the city abroad that the press deals with Thessaloniki on the occasion of filming, while the repercussions of the posts of the protagonists themselves through social media, as they have many followers. The contribution of the film The Bricklayer, which is being shot during this period, is considered special, as it is being played in Thessaloniki, based on a script, and it is not just being shot here. According to Ms. Karagianni, “they are excited about the city” while stating their intention to refer to Thessaloniki and the backstage that will be filmed, ie the short interviews given by the protagonists before the film is released in cinemas. “The city is beginning to be recognized,” said Ms. Karagianni. It is indicative that according to a recent company survey, there is an increase in internet searches for Thessaloniki by 213% compared to 2021 and an increase by 3% compared to 2019. According to Ms. Karagianni, this was not accidental. They contributed to a number of events such as the Hollywood productions but also the inclusion in the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities of Gastronomy of the city that was recently achieved by the city, resulting in reports in the world press.
“Everything that happens in the city helps in its extroversion and strengthens the destination,” says Ms. Karagianni, while acting as communication vessels for other important actions, such as increasing air travel, as well as to put a flight company that needs there is a demand for the destination.
In fact, there have recently been discussions about a direct flight Thessaloniki-Tel Aviv. Israel loves Thessaloniki very much and there are traditional ties, according to Ms. Karagianni, who traveled to Tel Aviv to participate in the IMTM 2022 International Tourism Fair. A series of contacts were made to strengthen the tourist flow from Israel. These tourists are a strong target group for Thessaloniki as they are not “sun-sea” tourists but city tourists, ie their holidays are mainly September-October.
Mrs. Karagianni with the Minister of Tourism Mr. Kikilias at the International Tourism Exhibition IMTM 2022
Regarding the tourist flows from Russia – Ukraine, Ms. Karagianni points out that the two do not affect Thessaloniki as much as the destination as these countries constitute a small percentage of the incoming tourism for the city in terms of accommodation. Halkidiki and Pieria will be hit the hardest.
Finally, for the image that exists for other markets, she states that there has been interest from Denmark and Austria while the “game” also includes Scandinavian countries. Movements are also made to attract tourism from the USA. The interest from America is mainly for pilgrimage tourism. It is not only Thessaloniki that participates in this but also Kavala and Kalampaka.