Thessaloniki is stepping up efforts to strengthen its position as an international conference tourism destination after hosting a targeted familiarisation trip for prominent Turkish travel professionals. The Thessaloniki MICE & Leisure Fam Trip brought together senior executives from leading travel agencies in Istanbul to Thessaloniki, northern Greece's largest city, to explore new business opportunities in meetings, conferences, and leisure tourism.
Participants travelled to Thessaloniki on Aegean's direct flight from Istanbul, a route launched in November 2025 that is expected to improve connectivity between the two historic regional hubs and support growing tourism flows. The visit was organised as part of a broader strategy to promote Thessaloniki and the surrounding region, including the nearby resort peninsula of Halkidiki, to new international markets.
The programme included business meetings held on 10 March between Turkish tourism professionals and members of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB). During these sessions, local stakeholders presented the city's conference infrastructure and tourism offerings while exploring potential partnerships with the Turkish travel market.
Addressing the event, TCB president Prodromos Monastiridis said the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to raise the city's global profile. "The Thessaloniki MICE & Leisure Fam Trip is part of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau's strategy to implement systematic promotional actions for Thessaloniki and the wider region in new markets," he said, adding that the goal is to create conditions for new collaborations and strengthen the international image of both Thessaloniki and Halkidiki.
Air connectivity is seen as a key driver of these ambitions. Stefanos Sadopoulos, AEGEAN's sales director for Greece, Cyprus and the Balkans, stressed that the airline "supports Thessaloniki and the wider region by continuously investing both in expanding its network with more direct connections from Thessaloniki 'Makedonia' Airport and in increasing the overall number of available seats".
The airline reported strong financial performance in 2025 despite rising environmental costs. Revenue reached 1.86 billion euros, up 5%, while net profit rose 14% to 147.8 million euros. Passenger traffic increased by one million travellers to 17.3 million, with the group offering 21 million available seats across its network.
