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Bolstered by the dynamism of Greek tourism, which is reflected in the scale of Philoxenia and Hotelia, the renowned tourism exhibition ‘duo’, which will host a total of 600 exhibitors, will begin on Friday, 10 November and last until 12 November. For three days, the two exhibitions, which will be held at Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, will welcome the entire tourism sector, all Greek tourism destinations and major tourism ‘players’ from abroad.
More specifically, the entire Greek tourism sector is being represented at the 33rd Philoxenia, a landmark for the field, as all 13 Regions of the country and numerous tourism-heavy Municipalities are participating this year. There will be 400 exhibitors (both direct and indirect) from 18 countries at Philoxenia, and 200 (direct and indirect) at Hotelia. There is intense international participation in Philoxenia and Hotelia, with direct participation from countries such as Turkey - İzmir and Şarköy are attending independently for the first time - Cyprus, Egypt, Austria, Russia, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Poland, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Peru, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Furthermore, approximately 180 international individual hosted buyers have been invited to attend the tourism exhibition ‘duo’, while another 125 will be participating as a group delegation from Bulgaria, Albania and FYROM. In this context, over 4,000 meetings between exhibitors and major tour operators from 36 target-countries for the Greek market have been scheduled. This Philoxenia will also mark the return of shipping companies and the participation of more airlines, tourism agencies and major hotel chains. An important event held during Philoxenia is the international Philoxenia conference, which is titled ‘Asian Tourism. Greece as a Destination and as a European Gate’ this year, highlighting the new prospects for domestic tourism with the help of top Greek and international speakers (a link to the complete schedule and speakers of the conference can be found at: http://apps.helexpo.gr/inst/Newsletters/2017/Asian_Tourism_Conferen ce/2nd_EL/news.htm). The conference, to be held on Friday, 10 November, at ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre, will cover three thematic sessions and one round table discussion with the following content: Growth and trends in outbound Asian tourism, connectivity & Travel Facilitation, and approaching the Asian Traveler. The round table will focus on: ‘Is Greek tourism Asian-ready? The road ahead’. The organising consultant of the Conference is the tourism generis company..
Hotelia, in turn, is presenting the very latest in the fields of hotel, restaurant and café equipment. A point of inspiration for architects, decorators and hoteliers, DPOINT SPACES at Hotelia (jointly organised with Interiors from Greece) is the most innovative event on hotel architecture and decoration, featuring two different works by renowned architectural firms, covering a total area of 400 sq.m. More specifically, SPA concept (created by the architectural firm ASPASIA TAKA architects creative lab) presents modern architectural trends in & wellness and incorporates a workshop area where sector experts will hold seminars, under the supervision of the development, management and business consulting firm EF-ZIN “the art of living well”. Additionally, LOBBY concept (created by the architectural firm NOMEN ARCHITECTS) showcases the lobby area, both as a philosophy - principles of good hospitality - and as a functional element, a common meeting place for owners and guests, friends, associates, etc. Lastly, the All About Café of Hotelia is an original and innovation section dedicated to the art of preparing coffee, and will focus this year on the development of coffee culture in the present and hosting specialised seminars (All About Café seminars) under the supervision of Valantis Lambrianidis. The grand sponsor of All About Café is the SPECIALISTAS brand of the MEVGAL company.
This year, the All About Gastronomy section of Hotelia is focusing on Greek Breakfast & Brunch+ and Gastronomic Hospitality, placing emphasis on how to include gastronomy in the services offered by hotels. The All About Gastronomy section is overseen by the Chef Stories company. Finally, the Green Zero Hotel “Reloaded”, the first modular ecological bungalow, designed by the Makridis Associates Architects firm, can be found at Hotelia, at the outdoor area of Pavilion 10. 10% increase in participation The CEO of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, characterised Philoxenia as the largest tourism exhibition in the Balkans, noting that this year marks a 10% increase in participation and adding that Hotelia has successfully retained its audience throughout recent years. In turn, the President of the Thessaloniki Hotels Association, Mr Andreas Mandrinos, stressed that Philoxenia is the top tourism event in our country and its dynamic growth in recent years is astounding.
In fact, he noted that the Association has been participating in every event without fail, and is looking forward to upgraded features this year. The President of the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau, Mr Yiannis Aslanis, commented on the intense activity of the administration of TIF-Helexpo, bolstering the company's fairs. He also referred to a major success for Thessaloniki, which was recently announced as the organiser of the 8th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism, to be held in the city in October 2018. The exhibition manager, Mrs Katerina Traptsioni, underlined the character of Philoxenia as a celebration, characterising it as one of the flagship - fairs of TIF-Helexpo. She stressed that an effort is made each year to improve the event in terms of both quality and quantity. In turn, the exhibition manager of Hotelia, Mrs Tonia Nikolaidou, noted that the two exhibitions are a powerful combination for the tourism sector and are helpful for visitors. The Fairs are being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Interior (Macedonia-Thrace), the Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT) and major tourism agencies (SETE, HATTA, POX and XEE), and are once again “flying” with Qatar Airways, the official air carrier of the events.
The hosted buyers’ meals are sponsored by Grand Hotel Palace and Philoxenia Thessbrunch, in which the Hyatt and Porto Palace hotels are participating, while the hosted buyers’ transport is sponsored by Zorpidis Travel Services. It is noted that Philoxenia Thessbrunch is being held in cooperation with the Thessaloniki Hotels Association and Thessaloniki Food Festival.