Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis: “We have many reasons to be happy about the development of Athens as a tourist destination: in recent years, we have been breaking one record after another.”

More than 1,600 B2B meetings between Greek and international tourism professionals on April 24-25 

Over 160 representatives from the Greek and international tourism industry met in Athens for the 9th Travel Trade Athens, the signature annual B2B event of the City of Athens organized in collaboration with the European Tourism Association (ETOA). Operated by the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA), the event ran April 24-25 with the participation of hosted buyers, local suppliers, and international media.

Since the start of Travel Trade Athens in 2013, visitor arrivals to Athens have increased by more than 160% and the Athens meetings & events industry has been recognized as a rising leader in the European market that is creating local economic opportunities. This year, the event hosted more than 1,600 B2B meetings between Greek and international tourism professionals during the two-day event, including more than 60 hosted buyers and over 100 local suppliers. The hosted buyers represented the city’s target markets in Europe, the United Kingdom, USA and Canada.

At the Press Conference launching Travel Trade Athens 2023 and marking the start of the spring season, Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis was joined by Yiannis Paraschis, Chief Executive Officer of the Athens International Airport (AIA); Eftichios Vassilakis, President of AEGEAN; and Tim Fairhurst, Secretary General of ETOA.

Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, underlined the importance of the event: “The 9th Travel Trade Athens is here. It is an exceptional event that is opening more windows and doors for Athens as a destination. Certainly, we have many reasons to be happy about the development of Athens as a tourist destination, as in recent years we have been breaking one record after another. To these, one more is added: it’s the first time in history that Athens is welcoming so many investments.”

The Mayor of Athens thanked all the partners who are contributing to the development of the tourist market of Athens. “I would like to extend a very big thank you to Mr. Tim Fairhurst, the Secretary General of the European Tourism Organization. His presence honors us and is a vote of trust and confidence in the Athens market. I would also like to thank Mr. Vassilakis and Mr. Parashis for the excellent collaboration we have developed through This is Athens. This public-private partnership is a great opportunity for all of us, because it enables us to join forces and achieve a much better result together.”

Tim Fairhurst said on behalf of ETOA: “A precondition for tourism success is the positive collaboration between private and public sectors. Athens understands this and our collective progress towards best tourism for residents and tourists alike depends on it. We are delighted to be working with the city again, bringing quality buyers interested in developing new products.”

In addition to a full schedule of B2B meetings, the 9th Travel Trade Athens includes a number of tours and experiences. It also hosts the Τhis is Athens Agora, a half-day cross-sectoral gathering for Greek tourism professionals. Through a series of educational workshops, panel discussions and speeches from world renowned industry professionals, the attending Greek professionals have the opportunity to gain valuable insights and develop expertise on the tourism industry’s global trends.

The speakers included Tim Fairhurst, Secretary General of ETOA; Maria Founta, Head of Marketing South East Europe at Google; Anna Vasila, Head of Sustainability and Industry Affairs at the Athens International Airport; Christos Koutsoukos, Executive Creative Director of Cream and Rascal; Elke Dens, Global Director of The Travel Foundation; Ioannis Pallas, Association Manager of the ESAE – European Society of Association Executives; Dr. Christina Gitsaki, Congress Coordinator of the International Association of Applied Linguistics; and Stylianos Filopoulos, Founder of Association by Design.

Special thanks to the Trave Trade Athens 2023 Partners: AEGEAN and Athens International Airport. As well as to the event’s Supporters: St. George Lycabettus Lifestyle Hotel, Alternative Athens, Association of Licensed Tourist Guides. A great thank you to the Ministry of Culture for their ongoing support and cooperation.

Athens moving from strength to strength

The 9th Travel Trade Athens builds upon a strong year for the Athenian tourism industry.

Through the efforts of the City of Athens and ADDMA’s strategic planning, as well as of This is Athens and Τhis is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau, Athens won its first global distinction at the World Travel Awards 2022 as the World’s Leading Cultural City Destination.

The award followed the city’s double win at the European World Travel Awards where Athens was named “Europe’s Leading Cultural City Destination 2022” and This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau received the “Europe’s Leading City Tourist Board” title for 2022.

Athens has also been recording an upward course in the global meetings industry. Athens ranked 6th in Europe and 8th in the world for international association meeting according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Annual Report 2021, having hosted over 130 international association meetings and events.

Since its launch in 2013, Travel Trade Athens has welcomed more than 700 buyers from 35 countries. With the completion of the 9th Trave Trade Athens, the event has supported more than 19,500 B2B meetings between Greek and international tourism professionals. The event is organized every year by the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency of the City of Athens (ADDMA) through the This is Athens-Convention and Visitors Bureau that operates under the umbrella of ADDMA, in collaboration with the European Tourism Association (ETOA).

Find the official event photos at https://www.thisisathens.org/acvb/marketing-kit-tta-2023

Photo Credits @ Thomas Gravanis | This is Athens

Visit the official #TTA23 website at www.traveltradeathens.gr

Mayor Bakoyannis: “Athens is back and looking forward – with the biggest players in Greek tourism as our allies.”

Athens re-established its leading presence in the global tourism market during Travel Trade Athens 2022. The event is a catalyst for the dynamic and sustainable return of visitors to Athens, with more than 160 representatives of Greek and international companies holding meetings during the event.

More than 70 representatives of foreign companies in the tourism and events industry came to Athens for the two-day event, connecting Athens to key markets in Europe, the UK, the United States, and the Middle East. They had more than 1,500 meetings with representatives from 90 Greek companies with the goal of completing business agreements that will strengthen the economy of Athens. Ten journalists from major international media were hosted alongside the buyers and suppliers and participated in parallel events that included a series of authentic urban experiences, events and seminars for the participants.

A press briefing opened the event with the participation of Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, President of Aegean Eftychios Vasilakis, Director of Communication and Marketing Athens International Airport Ioanna Papadopoulou, and CEO of ADDMA Vangelis Vlachos. Each of the speakers affirmed their commitment to strengthening the promotion and profile of Athens.

Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, thanked the representatives of Aegean Airlines and the Athens International Airport for their cooperation in the effort to re-establish Athens in the global tourist market: “Athens is back, and it has returned with optimism, positive momentum, and I dare say enthusiasm despite the challenges that we continue to face. To a large extent, this is due to the fact that we have managed all together to turn the crisis into an opportunity. The pandemic has allowed us to re-establish ourselves internationally, not only because of the famous Acropolis, not only for Greek hospitality, not only for authentic food. We are proving that Athens is a city that functions professionally, creating an “umbrella” of protection for all Athenians – a term that includes both our residents and our visitors. This is a success in which institutions like This is Athens have been a catalyst.”

He continued, “In recent years, Athens has emerged as a destination for city breaks, for business trips, for investment and film productions. The improving numbers prove the value of the efforts that we have been making for several years to ensure that Athens is a great destination. Now we are not entitled to take a rest, quite the opposite. In the coming years we must begin to alter the paradigm and change the way of thinking. We must understand our city holistically, not to separate the tourist and the local economy but to treat our destination and our city as one. When we invest in quality of life for the residents of Athens, we also invest in Athens as a destination for visitors.”

Eftichiοs Vassilakis, President of Aegean Airlines: “We are pleased to see that investments in Athens continued during the years of the pandemic, with new large hotels, more boutique hotels, renovated buildings, restaurants, cultural venues, new products and experiences. This year the outlook is positive and we have the opportunity to promote a city that is even more beautiful and richer in experiences than two years ago. This collective effort is supported and strengthened by our investment in the new Business Lounge of Aegean in the extra-Schengen area of the ​​Athens Airport, offering a unique hospitality experience to visitors from England, America, Canada, the Middle East, and to all those who travel from and to destinations outside Europe. This is particularly important because we have nearly lost contact with these passengers during the pandemic. At the same time, Aegean continues to invest in connections between Athens and the world with a network of 116 direct destinations in 42 countries, 20 of which are new since last year. We are continuing with the renewal of our fleet, with 22 additional new A320 and A321 neo that will be added to our fleet in 2022 and 2023 and helping to reduce our environmental footprint. When we all work together, we can have a city that’s exciting to visit, work, and also to live.”

Ioanna Papadopoulou, speaking on behalf of the Athens International Airport: “As we are moving forward in the post-pandemic era after two years of crisis, the close cooperation of all institutions in the “destination-travel-tourism value chain” continues. We are focusing our coordinated efforts on the promotion of Athens as a top sustainable destination. Based on the first positive messages for the summer season, which affirm the resilience of Athens, “Travel Trade Athens 2022” is the ideal platform to re-introduce and establish our destination in the most important international markets, and, at the same time, communicate the city’s new identity in the context of environmental sustainability, smart digital transformation, and innovation.”

Vagelis Vlachos, CEO of the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency: “Despite all the difficulties given to us, the pandemic also gave us an opportunity to design and put into action a comprehensive development plan for the City of Athens. It was a chance to reposition and develop Athens as an attractive, accessible, and sustainable city. To implement this strategy, we focused on two pillars: to emphasize conferences and meetings in order to strengthen our position as a top choice for business, and to promote and empower local businesses with initiatives that promote entrepreneurship and innovation. The 8th Travel Trade Athens covers both of these axes – that’s the invaluable partnership between the This is Athens-Convention and Visitors Bureau and the European Tourism Association (ETOA). Now, we are ready for Athens to meet the world.”

Tim Fairhurst, Secretary General of the European Tourism Association (ETOA): “ETOA is delighted once again to support the ADDMA team delivering TTA, providing 1,500 one-to-one networking appointments to more than 160 delegates. Athens integrates tourism within a cross-sectoral recovery and resilience strategy, working with local stakeholders as well as the international travel trade. Long-haul demand to Europe is returning. As the visitor economy rebuilds, we look forward to developing our partnership, finding common interest from climate action to commercial development and product diversification.”

Since 2013, Travel Trade Athens has hosted more than 600 buyers from 35 countries and has facilitated more than 17,000 B2B meetings. The event is organized every year by the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency through the This is Athens-Convention and Visitors Bureau and in cooperation with the European Tourism Association (ETOA).

The hosted buyers and press enjoyed a complete Hosted Buyer Program including air travel to and from Athens, accommodation in a 5-star hotel, transfers, thematic FAM trips, meals and social events, B2B meetings and networking opportunities.

The curated social and experiential programme was customized to the hosted buyers and press business focus and expertise, highlighting Athens’ main competitive advantages and showcasing the city’s latest trends and developments. Amongst others, the programme included visits to the Acropolis Museum, the Ellinikon Experience Park, the Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre (MAICC), the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST) and the Zappeion Megaron among others.

For attending suppliers, Travel Trade Athens offers a half day of educational workshops created in collaboration with major international organizations. The workshops were introduced in 2021 to promote the upskilling of the local tourism and meetings industry.

The 9th edition of the Travel Trade Athens will take place in April 2023.

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For press contacts:

Anna-Maria Chatzidaki, Marketing Manager, This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau, amchatzidaki@thisisathens.gr

Tyler Boersen, International Press Officer, Athens Development & Destination Management Agency, tboersen@developathens.gr

It’s time to reconnect. The 8th Travel Trade Athens is bringing the tourism market back to Athens, inviting buyers and suppliers to Athens to meet in-person during the annual event taking place from 9-10 May 2022.

Travel Trade Athens is the signature B2B marketing event of the City of Athens promoting the city’s transformation into a leading tourism and meetings destination.
Key players from the international tourism industry and top-notch local suppliers from Athens and the surrounding region will have the opportunity to meet and pursue new business opportunities during the two-day event.

Travel Trade Athens hosts leisure and MICE buyers from the city’s core markets in Europe, UK and the US as well as international press who are invited to participate in the return of leisure and business travellers to Athens.

Since its launch in 2013, Travel Trade Athens has hosted more than 500 buyers from 35 countries and has facilitated more than 16,000 B2B meetings.

The event is organized by the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency (ADDMA) through This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau, in cooperation with the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA).

In addition to business meetings, Travel Trade Athens offers attending suppliers a half day of educational workshops created in collaboration with major international organizations. The workshops were introduced by This is Athens in 2021 to promote knowledge exchange and best practices to the local tourism industry.

Select attending buyers and invited press will enjoy a complete Hosted Buyer Program that includes air travel to and from Athens, accommodation in a 5-star hotel, transfers, thematic FAM trips, meals and social events, networking opportunities, as well as a pre-arranged set of online B2B meetings.

“Athens has great momentum as we move toward the recovery of global tourism. Now it’s time for travel professionals to meet face-to-face. We’re excited for this opportunity to host our friends and partners in Athens as we start this new journey. In fact, we’re at the beginning of an exciting transformation, with the City of Athens investing in sustainability and quality of life for everyone,” noted Vagelis Vlachos, CEO of ADDMA.

“Tourism has an important role in the sustainable development of Athens and the city is already making big investments. We’ve launched vital collaborations with international organizations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO). Our partnerships have been extremely important over the last several years, and we are looking forward to creating more in 2022,” he added.

More information is available online at traveltradeathens.gr

Applications for the Hosted Buyer Program can be submitted online: https://traveltradeathens.gr/participants/register-as-a-hosted-buyer

All registrations are subject to evaluation on a first come, first served basis.

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For participation inquiries: traveltrade@thisisathens.org

For press contacts:
Anna-Maria Chatzidaki, Marketing Manager, This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau, amchatzidaki@thisisathens.gr

Tyler Boersen, International Press Officer, Athens Development & Destination Management Agency, tboersen@developathens.gr