Thessaloniki participated with an active and targeted role in the World Tourism Summit “2025 World Tourism Cities Federation – Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit”, which was held in Hong Kong from April 14 to 17, bringing together more than 800 delegates from all over the world.
This year’s summit, under the thematic title “Innovate City Branding to Elevate Tourism Excellence”, was co-organized by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Office of the Hong Kong Government, focusing on strengthening the identity of tourist cities and upgrading the visitor experience.
The Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization actively participated in thematic forums, speaker panels, bilateral meetings, and high-level networking, promoting the city as a modern, authentic, and sustainable tourist destination with a distinct identity and a strong brand.
During the session, a wide range of innovative practices were presented in the areas of sustainable tourism development, the exploitation of cultural heritage, and the upgrading of the urban experience. Of particular interest was the promotion of Thessaloniki as a “hidden diamond of the Mediterranean”, a characterization that attracted the interest of tourism professionals and media representatives from Asia, thanks to its cultural wealth, long history and multicultural identity.
Thessaloniki’s penetration of the Chinese market
The focus of the contacts was also the strategy of penetrating the Chinese tourism market, the largest pool of outbound travelers in the world. In 2023, more than 115 million Chinese traveled abroad, while for 2025 the forecasts raise the number to over 130 million. Already, Greece is recording increased momentum, having welcomed approximately 300,000 Chinese visitors in 2024, and Thessaloniki aspires to claim a share of this growing flow.
In a relevant statement, the Mayor of Thessaloniki Stelios Angeloudis emphasized:
“We are consistently implementing a coherent, strategic plan for the sustainable tourism development of the city. Thessaloniki is reinventing itself, strengthening its competitiveness and claiming the trust of the global tourism market, showcasing its leading comparative advantages, promoting specific forms of tourism and looking forward to offering visitors authentic, integrated experiences. We remain committed to our commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders in the tourism industry, in order to jointly shape the future of the Thessaloniki destination.”
Thessaloniki continues to invest in its international presence, strengthening its position in the global tourism landscape as a model city with a sustainable and innovative approach.
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