EXTH: Thessaloniki’s progress in visitor satisfaction is minimal

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With the lowest score (7.8) in recent years, Thessaloniki was assessed by visitors in 2023, with the city at a turning point and showing little progress in tourism, but still a destination that remains high in choices of tourists, as 9 out of 10 who visit it, wish not only to repeat it but also to recommend it to others, relatives and friends.

REPORTER: DIMITRA TAGKA

As can be seen from the results of of the 2023 study “Tourist Profile & Satisfaction – Hotel Performance of Thessaloniki” conducted by the Thessaloniki Hotel Association and presented by the Managing Consultant of GBR Consulting Mr. Stefan Merkenhof, for yet another year the city’s identity as a gastronomy and entertainment destination was confirmed, since the main reasons for choosing it for both Greeks and foreigners continued to be nightlife/entertainment, food and shopping. In particular, the entertainment/recreation and the behavior of the residents were rated highly with 8.5.

The satisfaction of visitors, of course, saw a further decrease in almost all indicators, such as that of public cleanliness with only 5.4 and noise pollution with 6.1. Only a few indicators remained stable, none of them improved over the period 2015 – 2023. The overall evaluation score, based on the survey, from the experience of visitors to the city, decreased from 8.1 in 2019, to 7.9 in 2022 and to 7.8 in 2023. However, more than 90% of hotel guests would recommend Thessaloniki and visit it again. The score for hotels and value for money remained stable compared to 2022 at 8.7 and 8.3 respectively.

At the same time, this year’s survey showed that in the year 2023 the hotels in the area maintained their high rating (8.7) both in terms of their facilities and in terms of the price/quality ratio (8.3).

However, the constant satisfaction of visitors with the hotel infrastructure of Thessaloniki – which is being improved and strengthened with new units – was not enough to change the image of the financial data of the hotels, since for another year Thessaloniki remained in the last place in terms of both in the average room price, as well as in the revenue per available room in the benchmarking between our city and ten other European cities of the same size. “This can only change if the city takes professional steps in its tourism development, something that has been a wish for many years but has not been implemented,” he emphasized during his presentation. the President of the Thessaloniki Hotel Association (EXTH), Mr. Andreas Mandrinos.

Also in the period 2015-2023, overnight stays in the hotels of Thessaloniki increased by 11%. The occupancy of Thessaloniki’s hotels was higher than Dusseldorf and Budapest, while they recorded the lowest Average Room Price of all the cities. The mix of major foreign markets in terms of overnight stays has remained stable over the period 2015 – 2023, with the exception of the US which increased and Russia which decreased.

The research also showed that:

-At Thessaloniki airport, in 2023 compared to 2019, international arrivals increased by just 0.8%. It should be noted that the connection with the Russian market was interrupted and that in 2021 Ellinair stopped its operation. In the period 2019 – 2023, the seasonal pattern of foreign arrivals remained unchanged.

-In 2023 compared to 2019, road arrivals at the entry points of Promachona connecting Thessaloniki with Sofia decreased by 29% and those of Evzone connecting it with Skopje decreased by 5%. However, in this particular period the overnight stays of Romanians and Bulgarians were not affected and even increased.

-Overnight stays in Thessaloniki’s hotels remained stable, with a 1% decrease in overnight stays by foreigners and a 1% increase by Greeks. The overnight mix of the main foreign markets remained stable compared to 2015. On the one hand, the Russian market was lost, on the other hand, the share of visitors from the USA increased.

-Comparing 2023 with 2019, occupancy decreased by 4.2%, and at the same time the hotel potential of the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki increased by 4 units and 285 rooms, an increase of 1.4% and 3.5 % respectively, During the same period, in an environment of high inflation and rising operating costs, the Average Room Rate increased by 25%.

-Comparing it to European competitive cities, Thessaloniki had the lowest Average Room Price in 2023.

-The short-term rental market, which remains largely unregulated and affects the local community, has reached 3,600 units in the Municipality of Thessaloniki, while hotel rooms amount to 4,800.

Mr. Merkenhof, who presented detailed data regarding the profiles of Thessaloniki’s travelers identified in the survey and analyzed the performance of hotels in the area last year, commented that the city shows little progress compared to 2019. Also, in terms of In terms of infrastructure, Thessaloniki remains “behind”, as he pointed out.

“Some key infrastructure projects have not started or are in the planning stage or ongoing, such as the road border situation, access to and from the airport, flyover project work has been temporarily stopped by the CoE. However, on the other hand, if at some point all major infrastructure projects are delivered, if at the end of 2024 the 13 metro stations are operational, if the Municipality of Thessaloniki actually delivers the projects needed for safety, cleanliness, the quality of sidewalks & roads , greenery and parking, the city will become really attractive for its residents and visitors and will be able to attract new tourist markets”, commented Mr. Merkenhof.

In his further statements, the President of EXTH emphasized that 2023 was the first year after the pandemic, that Thessaloniki experienced tourism at satisfactory levels, after everyday life returned to a completely normal rhythm. However, as he pointed out, from the results of this year’s survey, the need for an organized development plan for Thessaloniki is even more imperative, since 2023 was the year in which the survey questions asked whether its visitors would recommend Thessaloniki to others and if they wished to visit it again, the rates of 92% and 91% respectively, were the lowest in recent years.

Mr. Mandrinos also pointed out that the hotels of the smaller 2* & 1* categories are immediately at risk due to the unfair competition they receive from Airbnb accommodations. He added that the “black” points of the city not only remained exactly the same (roads & sidewalks, public cleanliness, noise & air pollution, public transport, greenery), but also received the lowest evaluation of the period 2015-2023. “Fortunately, the new municipal authority shows with its work so far, that there will be an improvement in these sectors and this is very encouraging for the immediate future”, said Mr. Mandrinos characteristically, estimating that 2023 will be the last year with low performance of the city in tourism.

THE Mayor of Thessaloniki and President of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization Mr. Stelios Angeloudis he then stated that there are problems that need to be solved, such as the protection and guarding of public space (cleanliness, table seating, greenery, park maintenance), with the optimism of time that the low scores in these areas have changed to the positive with the necessary actions of the municipality. He even spoke about the ongoing effort at the Thessaloniki Tourist Organization in order to have a different strategic model, being a body that deals with the tourism product of the city.

“Tourism must be served with a tight strategic plan. We have asked SETE for two things, the update of the plan that existed for the tourism of Thessaloniki and at the same time a final action plan that is expected to be given to us in September”, said Mr. Angeloudis stressing that the city has no room to lose any more opportunities .

It is noted that the presentation of the survey of tourist satisfaction and hotel performance of the company “GBR Consulting” for 2023 was made in the presence of representatives of the State, the Self-Government, tourism and other agencies of the city, representatives of the members of EXTH at the hotel “Electra Palace Thessaloniki”.