WTA: Athens is Europe’s Leading City Break Destination for 2024

ADDMA’s team, headed by its managing director, Ioannis Georgizas (center), receiving the award for Europe’s Leading City-break Destination 2024.

Greece’s capital city Athens won the title of Europe’s Leading City Break Destination for 2024 at the 31st World Travel Awards (WTA) Europe Gala Ceremony held recently in Berlin, Germany.

Established in 1993, the WTA acknowledges and rewards excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

“We are proud of this important distinction that places our city on the map of the best city break destinations in Europe,” said Ioannis Georgizas, Managing Director of the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA), upon receiving the award.

The Greek capital stood out among a number of other European metropolitan cities nominated in the same category: Amsterdam, Venice, Berlin, Geneva, Dublin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, London, Paris, Port (last year’s winner), and Rome.

“Athens is a vibrant and welcoming city, offering new opportunities for short escapes at any time,” he added.

According to ADDMA, the WTA distinction comes to seal the long-term strategy and effort of the This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureauu (ACVB) over the last decade for the sustainable tourism development of the city by promoting it as a competitive city break tourism destination all year round.

It should be noted that Athens in 2023 recorded a new record in international arrivals, surpassing 7 million visitors.

Photo source: ADDMA

This is the second time the Greek capital has been announced as Europe’s Leading City-break Destination at the World Travel Awards. Athens won the same award in 2018.

Morover, this year’s win adds to several accolades earned at the World Travel Awards over the past decade, including Leading Cultural Destination of the World and Europe in 2022 and 2023. Moreover, ACVB won the title of Best Convention and Visitors Bureau in Europe in 2018 and 2022 and the Acropolis was hailed Top Tourist Attraction in 2014 and 2018.

“At ADDMA we will continue our efforts towards sustainable tourism, while creating the conditions that will ensure the quality of life of Athenians,” the agency’s managing director said.

The 31st World Travel Awards also saw Greece claiming the accolade of “Europe’s Leading Destination 2024” while many of the country’s hotels, destinations and tourism businesses also won honoring distinctions.