FedHATTA & HATTA make a strong showing at the 39th Philoxenia International Tourism Fair
Important discussions on the interconnection of Greek tourism with culture, fruitful professional meetings of Greek tourism agencies with their counterparts from abroad, and an award for the Association of Tourist Agencies of Macedonia Thrace for its contribution to resolving issues in the sector, marked this year’s participation of FedHATTA and HATTA in the 39th International Tourism & Hotel Equipment Exhibition, Philoxenia–Hotelia, which took place November 14-16, 2024 at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition & Conference Center.
The FedHATTA pavilion in the exhibition served as a meeting place for professional and institutional tourism bodies, co-hosted by HATTA, the Association of Tourist Offices of Macedonia-Thrace (ATTH), Panasoft, which manages back office services, and the National Bank, which offers new financing programs specifically for tourism agencies. The exhibition was attended by the President of FedHATTA, Lysandros Tsilidis, the President of HATTA, Nikolas Kelaiditis, as well as numerous travel agencies from all over Greece – members of the Federation’s associations.
Mr. Tsilidis participated in the panel “Experience. Culture. Everywhere. – Connecting the Dots” organized by the Cultural Resources Management and Development Organization (ODAP), as part of the exhibition’s theme: Tourism and Culture. The panel also included the Deputy Regional Governor of Tourism of Macedonia, Vicky Hadjivassiliou, the General Director of the Museum of Byzantine Culture, Agathoniki Tsilipakou, and the cultural advisor of SETE, Alexandros Thanos.
Mr. Tsilidis highlighted to the inseparable connection between tourism and culture in Greece. There is no organized trip to Greece without at least one excursion of cultural interest, emphasized the president of FedHATTA, while recognizing the contribution of cruises to cultural tourism, which brings visitors to many archaeological sites in Greece and destinations with rich cultural interest. This is, as he said, a timeless and year-round product of Greek tourism which can drive expansion of the tourism season in our country. He also emphasized that study trips in Greece by universities should be utilized, recalling when the Greek cruise company Royal Cruise Line organized at-sea courses to university students, who, while traveling, learned about the cultures of the world.
“Modern visitors to Greece possess a wealth of knowledge and have upgraded their knowledge base, and show greater interest than in the past in the archaeological sites and museums of our country, wanting to know more up close, and showing great respect for the cultural wealth that comes to life before their eyes,” underlined Mr. Tsilidis. Moreover, the same theme emerged during the 1st World Meeting of WTAA, when the Federation hosted the presidencies of tourism agency associations from across the globe, on tours of Athens and Crete, during which they had the opportunity to learn about the culture and history of each place.
In an event during Philoxenia, FedHATTA and HATTA awarded the Association of Tourism Offices of Macedonia-Thrace (ATMTH) for its long-term contribution to the tourism industry, its efforts as a Federation member in resolving technical issues related to tourism offices and for its determination to contribute to the strengthening of the tourism office sector, which is responsible for the largest part of tourism traffic worldwide.
HATTA also participated in the 4th Bike Friendly Forum at Philoxenia, which took place on November 15th, with the aim of promoting cycling tourism and soft mobility in Greece. The President of HATTA, Nikolas Kelaiditis addressed the Forum, expressing once again HATTA’s support for the Bike Friendly initiative, as a further strengthening of alternative and thematic tourism in our country. Mr. Kelaiditis recognized that there is enormous potential in alternative tourism and, and that one avenue is cycling tourism in Greece, a form of gentle mobility that is, moreover, particularly widespread in many European countries, contributing to the well-being of residents and visitors.
In addition, FedHATTA and HATTA supported the promotion of Cuba, which participated with a neighboring pavilion, seeking to highlight it both as a destination for Greek travelers and as an inbound tourism market for Greece.
Event’s photos
