Thessaloniki Targets Germany, UK and France in Tourism Push

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Thessaloniki is preparing a major international tourism campaign targeting Germany, the UK and France as the city seeks to strengthen its position as a leading metropolitan destination.

Thessaloniki Mayor and President of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation Stelios Angeloudis outlined the strategy at the Reimagine Tourism in Greece conference, a Kathimerini initiative focused on the future of Greek tourism that is being held in Thessaloniki for the first time.

Speaking on a panel titled “Thessaloniki as a New Metropolitan Destination”, moderated by Kathimerini editor Alexis Papahelas, Angeloudis said the city stood at a turning point.

“Thessaloniki is currently on the verge of a leap,” he said, arguing that the city had addressed infrastructure problems that had persisted for almost 30 years.

Germany first, followed by UK and France

Angeloudis said the municipality would launch a major international promotional campaign from late September to attract more visitors and, in particular, higher-quality tourists.

The mayor will travel to Bucharest on September 24 to promote Thessaloniki as a modern destination for city breaks, culture, gastronomy, business and conference tourism.

Further promotional trips to Berlin and Leipzig will follow before the end of the year.

“We are launching an offensive over the next two and a half years, initially approaching the German market and, from the beginning of 2027, the UK and France,” Angeloudis said.

Thessaloniki seeks direct US flight

Angeloudis also highlighted the need to improve the city’s international air connectivity, particularly with the United States.

“What we are fighting for is a direct flight with the US, as we have 180,000 visitors from the United States,” he said.

“It is time for all of us to look at this issue together. I have raised it with the Prime Minister and with the Greek National Tourism Organisation. We also need additional resources to move forward.”

The mayor said infrastructure projects and major urban regeneration schemes were transforming Thessaloniki into a more European city.

He pointed to the Thessaloniki Metro extension to Kalamaria, the Flyover project and a series of municipal regeneration projects, including Eleftherias Square, the redevelopment of the Aristotelous axis, the new wooden waterfront deck, the redevelopment of Demokratias and Dioikitiriou squares, as well as new pavements and road resurfacing.

Angeloudis said the redevelopment of Eleftherias Square would finish within seven months.

Tourism industry calls for stronger international presence

Andreas Andreadis, co-founder and managing partner of Sani/Ikos Group, identified Israel as a market already “ready for Thessaloniki”.

He said Israel, together with the US, UK and Germany, could make a significant contribution to the city’s future tourism growth.

Andreadis urged tourism entrepreneurs to recognise Thessaloniki’s potential to move to the next level, describing the city as being at “a good starting point for the next decade”.

He also proposed creating tourism packages combining Thessaloniki and Halkidiki.

“Let’s coordinate and create such packages because visitors like them,” Andreadis said. “A package like this can go to market, be promoted and then be picked up by travel agencies. It can happen, but it requires practicality, good organisation and a budget.”

Konstantinos Tornivoukas, President and CEO of TOR Hotel Group, also said Thessaloniki had all the ingredients to become a metropolitan destination for visitors seeking specific, high-quality experiences.

“Thessaloniki is a fascinating city and offers many things,” he said. “But all these ingredients need to be connected.”

Multicultural heritage seen as tourism asset

Earlier, journalist Stavros Tzimas, who addressed the conference, said tourism in Thessaloniki and northern Greece had distinctive characteristics.

He highlighted the city’s rich multicultural past as a particularly important tourism asset, saying its historical traces increasingly attract visitors from communities with historic connections to Thessaloniki.

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