Travel Trade Athens 2023: Greek Tourism Industry Meets Foreign Professionals

(L-R) AEGEAN Airlines President Eftychios Vassilakis; Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis; Athens International Airport Managing Director Ioannis Paraschis; Secretary-General of the European Tourism Organization (ETOA) Tim Fairhurst. Photo source: Greek Travel Pages/ Maria Theofanopoulou.

The Athens Development and Destination Management Agency of the Municipality of Athens, in collaboration with the European Tourism Organization (ETOA), recently organized the 9th Travel Trade Athens event.

Over 160 Greek and international MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) professionals attended the signature two-day B2B meeting held at the Greek capital.

The event aimed to target markets mainly from countries in Europe and the United States, introducing Athenian businesses to tourism professionals interested in developing new products and experiences. In total, over 1,600 meetings were held between Greek and foreign tourism professionals.

Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis. Photo source: Athens Municipality.

A press conference held at the King George Hotel as part of the event featured Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, who emphasized the event’s aim to open more “windows” and “doors” for Athens as a destination. He added that the collaboration between the public and private sector has transformed Athens into a “record-breaking tourism investment capital.”

Secretary-General of the European Tourism Organization (ETOA) Tim Fairhurst also addressed the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Fairhurst highlighted the importance of strategic integration and sustainability in the future of tourism. He also offered some examples of how cultural tourism, which Athens depends on, can benefit from optimizing visitor capacity in the city’s museums and points of cultural interest.

Secretary-General of the European Tourism Organization (ETOA) Tim Fairhurst. Photo source: Athens Municipality.

Athens International Airport Managing Director Ioannis Paraschis echoed the sentiment of collaboration and highlighted the effectiveness of strategic partnerships and synergies between all entities that make up the travel chain of the destination Athens in recent years. He added that the city is “recovering dynamically after the pandemic adventure.”

AEGEAN Airlines President Eftychios Vassilakis, noted that the recovery of tourism after the pandemic seems to be stabilizing and maturing after a satisfactory summer last year. He emphasized that Athens is becoming a modern and attractive destination worth visiting and living in. He also announced that AEGEAN is investing in an upgraded travel experience with its state-of-the-art Wi-Fi equipped fleet, new lounges, and quality products.

Photo source: Athens Municipality.

In addition to the scheduled meetings, the 9th Travel Trade Athens included a series of tours and experiences, as well as the special section, “This is Athens Agora,” in which Greek tourism professionals had the opportunity to take part in seminars and discussions about all the new developments and trends in Athenian tourism.

The event comes to seal a particularly successful year in the tourism sector for Athens, which has broken one record after another in recent years.