Thessaloniki organised a Tourism & Travel Event in Istanbul on Thursday, 31 October 2024, at the iconic Swissotel The Bosphorus. The event was dedicated to enhancing the visibility of Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Pieria and the whole of Central Macedonia in the Turkish market. The event, organised by the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau in collaboration with the Region of Central Macedonia, was a dynamic platform for networking and information, bringing together tourism professionals from Istanbul, who had the opportunity to get to know the unique experiences offered by these popular destinations.
During the event, the participants were informed through short presentations about the top tourist infrastructures and natural beauties of the region. This was followed by pre-arranged business meetings between representatives of hotels, event venues, DMCs, travel agencies and other actors of the local tourism industry with Turkish travel agents, tour operators and organisers of conferences and events laying a solid foundation for entering into partnerships and agreements.
The President of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau, Mr Prodromos Monastiridis, said: “It is a special honour for us that, through Connect on Tour in Istanbul, we are promoting our destination and its competitive advantages to the Turkish public. We firmly believe that our region can meet every expectation, either in terms of tourist services or as a destination for business events. Our goal is to increase the number of visitors from Turkey further. Our five-year collaboration with the Region of Central Macedonia for the actions Connect I Tourism & Travel Event Thessaloniki and Connect on Tour is proving to be decisive, strengthening the extroversion and visibility of our region internationally, while creating strong growth prospects. We look forward to a further strengthening of our cooperation in order to maximise the benefits for our region and to highlight even more its potential as an international destination.”
The Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism of the Central Macedonia Region, Mrs Vicky Hatzivasileiou, said: “The Central Macedonia Region, continuing its practical support for outreach activities, participated again this year in the Connect on Tour organised in Istanbul by the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau. I welcome this effective initiative, which gave the professionals of Central Macedonia the opportunity to get in touch with leading buyers from the Turkish market, a target market with significant prospects for our region. In the context of the event, we presented the unique characteristics of the Region of Central Macedonia, consolidating professional relationships and laying the foundations for future collaborations.”
The Thessaloniki Convention Bureau is already planning the action plan for 2025, which includes Connect events abroad, but also in Thessaloniki in May. The exact program for 2025 will be announced soon.
Learn more about the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau here.
