Thessaloniki Sees Rise in Overnights, Drop in Revenue

The northern port city of Thessaloniki is growing into destination of choice with the number of overnight stays rising by 100,000 in the first eight months of the year, but revenue still remains low, the city’s hotelier association found in a recent study.

According to the Thessaloniki Hotels Association (THA), the total number of overnight stays in the first eight months of 2015 rose by 7.57 percent, coming to 1,400,897 stays (709,972 by foreign tourists) compared to 1,302,347 in the same period last year.

More specifically, Greeks were first with 690,925 overnight stays, up by 6.11 percent, followed by Cypriots at 83,823 overnighters, an 18.51 percent increase.

Turkish travelers came second with 52,752 overnight stays, up by 4.14 percent. Serb holidaymakers were third with 43,295 overnighters, an increase of 5.02 percent. Germans chose to stay more in Thessaloniki, compared to last year, with 40,862 stays, up by 11.05 percent, with the Romanians fifth at 40,200 overnight stays, a 0.09 percent increase.

American holidaymakers, meanwhile, are beginning to take a liking for Thessaloniki, recording a 36.69 percent rise, with 35,724 overnight stays. US travelers have expressed a keen interest in the city’s religious tourism offerings, which are also attracting higher income visitors.

At the same time, however, revenues are low despite a 5.9 percent increase in the average room rate with revenue per available room at 8.6 percent (42.54 euros), lower than 10 other European rival cities: Antwerp, Birmingham, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Budapest, Hamburg, Manchester and Salzburg.

According to the same survey, Thessaloniki continues to hold the last spot with regards to occupancy and average room rate.