Thessaloniki Airport is on track for a new historic passenger record, with traffic potentially exceeding 8.2 million passengers this year, according to Fraport Greece’s Director of Development George Velos.
Velos said the airport would continue to grow, with the markets it serves collectively increasing their share significantly.
Looking ahead to the winter schedule, Velos said Egypt had recently launched a connection that would continue, while a new route to Haifa would operate throughout the winter.
“I believe we are gradually growing more and more,” he said.
Velos made the comments during a culinary event held at Thessaloniki Airport for the fourth consecutive year to mark World Tourism Day. This year’s event focused on Mount Olympus, which recently joined the UNESCO World Heritage List as a site of mixed cultural and natural value.
Passengers and guests in the airport’s departures hall sampled a selection of local food and drinks featuring herbs from the “Mountain of the Gods”. A video showcasing the mountain destination’s attractions also played throughout the event.
Velos highlighted the fact that Mount Olympus lies just 100 kilometres from Thessaloniki, describing its proximity as particularly important for the wider Central Macedonia tourism destination.
He said the efforts of the various organisations involved in promoting the region would support the development of new routes and help increase visitor flows to Thessaloniki throughout the year. He also highlighted recent efforts by the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
Thessaloniki Deputy Regional Governor Kostas Gioutikas, meanwhile, pointed to the city’s “many comparative advantages”.
Visitors can reach major attractions within about an hour of the airport, he said, including Mount Olympus, the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai at Vergina and the monuments and tourist attractions of Halkidiki.
“What have we been missing all these years? Infrastructure,” Gioutikas said.
He credited Fraport’s expansion of the airport facilities and efforts to promote Thessaloniki as a destination with helping the city attract more visitors.
“We still have many steps to take, and all the organisations are working together to a very large extent,” he said. “Only when we all work together can we achieve our common goal: to make Thessaloniki a global destination.”
Thessaloniki Deputy Mayor for Culture and Tourism Development Vassilis Gakis described Fraport’s culinary event as an excellent initiative that fully supports the regional and municipal strategy to promote Thessaloniki as a gastronomic destination.
The city belongs to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the gastronomy category.
Gakis said Thessaloniki’s tourism industry was gaining ground each day, supporting the local economy. He also identified the airport, which now has modern facilities, as a key pillar of the city’s tourism development.
He added that the Municipality of Thessaloniki had launched a new campaign several days earlier to promote the city’s tourism offering, beginning in Bucharest. According to Gakis, the campaign received a strong response from Romanian media and tour operators in the city.
