Poland a Top 5 Tourist Source Market for Thessaloniki in Summer

Thessaloniki, Greece. Photo source: Thessaloniki Tourism Organization.

Poland is a leading source market for the northern port city of Thessaloniki with travelers preferring summer for their holidays, said Thessaloniki Tourism Organization President Voula Patoulidou on occasion of the 4^th Greek – Polish Tourism & Gastronomy Workshop held in Warsaw last week.

The event, which was held under the auspices of the Greek Tourism Ministry, the Greek Embassy in Poland, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Poland branch and the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce, served as a networking opportunity for Greek tourism and travel companies and professionals wishing to reach out to the Polish market and to tour operators and travel agencies there.

Patoulidou said the event was part of a wider communication strategy for the promotion of Thessaloniki and is one of several targeted actions in the Polish market.

Earlier this year, Poland’s Ambassador to Greece, Artur Lompart confirmed the interest of Polish travelers in popular and lesser-known destinations in Greece.

Addressing the workshop, Director of the GNTO Poland branch Nikoletta Nikolopoulou said that in the first nine months of 2023, 1.05 million Polish travelers visited Greece, exceeding pre-Covid 2019 levels.

Greek destinations highlighted during the workshop included Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Mt Olympus as well as alternative forms of tourism in addition to local gastronomy. Participants also had the chance to win two three-day holidays in Greece as part of a lottery organized by the TTO.

“Based on the data provided by Makedonia Airport, in the summer months, travelers from Poland are in the Top 5 markets for Thessaloniki, while in the winter months it drops below the Top 10. Our goal is for travelers from Poland to choose Thessaloniki all year round,” said Patoulidou, who is also deputy regional governor of the city.