Thessaloniki Moves Up as Conference Tourism Host City

White Tower, Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Photo Source: Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Greece’s second largest city Thessaloniki is moving up as an international MICE destination, according to the ICCA – International Congress and Conference Association report for 2018.

The ICCA data on Thessaloniki.

Overall, Paris was in the lead in 2018 with 212 conferences, followed by Vienna, Madrid, Barcelona and Berlin. Athens was ranked 25th.

Thessaloniki moved up 10 spots in the ICCA ranking to 93rd globally and 53rd in Europe, marking its best performance in over a decade.

The city hosted 29 conference events in 2018, welcoming some 5,770 participants.

An ICCA member, the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB) is aiming to establish the northern port city as an attractive MICE option by ensuring the provision of high-quality services.

Photo Source: Visit Greece / K. Grozoudis

According to ICCA data, delegate spending on average came to 1,823 dollars per congress with total expenditure in 2018 coming to 10,150,000 dollars.

The majority of conference events were held in June and in October.

Of the 29 meetings, 19 had between 50 and 149 participants.

The ICCA data on Thessaloniki.

“We are very happy and proud of Thessaloniki’s highest ranking in the last 10 years. The ICCA results reflect the city’s dynamic which is stimulating its congress potential,” said Yannis Aslanis, TCB chairman of the board, adding that all efforts have included the support of local government and city stakeholders.