Central Macedonia to Launch New Tourism Strategy for 2021

Photo Source: @Thessaloniki Travel

The Central Macedonia Region is planning to launch a new tourism strategy and upgrade its brand identity  to attract travelers for the 2021 tourism season.

Speaking to tourism professionals and reporters during a webinar on Thursday, Central Macedonia Vice Governor for Tourism and Culture, Alexandros Thanos, said that despite the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Region is preparing a new strategy “that will upgrade and update the tourism narrative of the area through a new brand and modern audiovisual material”.

According to Thanos, the new strategy will be adjusted to the needs of the market based on the results of a study conducted by the Region during the pandemic, with the aim to define the new qualitative and quantitative factors formed under the new circumstances.

The Region will unveil its plans in the coming weeks, while the new strategy is expected to launch in April.

MICE tourism in the spotlight

The Central Macedonia Region is also planning to run a specialized program for the promotion of MICE tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) in collaboration with the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB).

“We are searching for the appropriate channels to accurately promote this program as well as our destination,” Thanos said during the webinar.

As part of this strategy, the Central Macedonia Region in early April will present the city of Thessaloniki and its MICE infrastructure to tourism professionals during an event to be held online under the title “Connect”.

The presentation will be followed by online B2B meetings between buyers and suppliers.

Culture, an asset for Central Macedonia

Other actions put to the table include the organization of cultural events and the promotion of the area’s cultural assets such as landmark monuments, natural sites and rich tradition.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, “the region hosted over 200 cultural events of all kinds, on an annual basis – from opera to shadow theater performances,” Central Macedonia Cultural Center President Anna Mykoniou said during the online seminar.

“Our goal is to promote the cultural dynamic of our region by offering opportunities to young people and innovative ideas, investing in new artistic proposals, creating new cultural products and collaborating with the region’s artists who are truly exceptional,” she added.

Furthermore, the Central Macedonia Region is promoting local culture through its newly-established Film Office that aims to highlight the area as a filming destination and attract investment from cinema, television, advertising and other audiovisual productions.

“We are constantly looking into ways to promote the cultural identity of Central Macedonia through films and audiovisual projects,” the head of the local Film Office Lina Milonaki said during the event.

Organized by the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB), the webinar was also attended by the organization’s President Yiannis Aslanis and Managing Director Eleni Sotiriou.