The findings of the “tourist satisfaction & hotel performance for 2023” survey, which was carried out by the GBR Consulting company on behalf of the Thessaloniki Hotel Association, are very interesting but also useful for Thessaloniki. Findings which confirm that, even its occasional visitors, find that the city has been in decline for the last ten years or so. In fact, 2023 is recorded as the worst year of the 2015-2023 period with the overall evaluation score being a low of 7.8, compared to 8.1 in 2019, which was the last year before the pandemic.
The things that bother visitors the most, according to the survey, are that Thessaloniki is a dirty city, with little greenery, atmospheric pollutants, encroachment of public space, noise pollution, low level of service from public transport, etc. The comforting thing is that, despite this bad image that visitors form about the city, when asked if they would recommend Thessaloniki to others and if they wish to visit it again, nine out of ten are positive. The very good performance, although it appears slightly lower compared to previous measurements, is due to the positive image formed by visitors to Thessaloniki for its gastronomy and the general entertainment offered by the city.
This evaluation of the visitors to Thessaloniki does not differ, at least in its main points, from the one made by the people of Thessaloniki themselves. After all, it was expressed in the clearest way in last year’s election contests. Both in the national elections where the ruling New Democracy party gathered in A’ Thessaloniki one of the lowest percentages nationwide; and in the municipal elections with the overwhelming defeat of the former mayor Konstantinos Zervas.
The findings of the research, positive and negative, can nevertheless be a guide for those who have the responsibility to make decisions for everyday life and for the future of Thessaloniki. Primarily, of course, for the administration of the municipality, which must address the visible problems, visible even to the occasional visitors of the city, and provide solutions. Its first moves in this direction are positive, but the total fund will be made in the next two to three years.
The findings of the research should also concern the government, which, now almost five years into the matter, must show more interest in the city, deal more seriously and intensively with its problems, mainly in terms of infrastructure projects and public transport . To allocate more public and community resources and to abandon the plans for further reconstruction of the last free spaces, whether it is the TIF or the Kalamaria beach front, etc.
Finally, even the “trump cards” of Thessaloniki, at least as presented in the survey, namely the good food and the night entertainment, must be of concern to all the relevant bodies of the city. It is not possible for Thessaloniki to have only these in its showcase and not make use of its vast history, its important monuments, its culture. The distorted model of the city’s development, as it evolved during the crisis years, cannot continue in the same direction. That is, for Thessaloniki to remain an immense frapedoupolis.
The findings of the “tourist satisfaction & hotel performance for 2023” survey, which was carried out by the GBR Consulting company on behalf of the Thessaloniki Hotel Association, are very interesting but also useful for Thessaloniki. Findings which confirm that, even its occasional visitors, find that the city has been in decline for the last ten years or so. In fact, 2023 is recorded as the worst year of the 2015-2023 period with the overall evaluation score being a low of 7.8, compared to 8.1 in 2019, which was the last year before the pandemic.
The things that bother visitors the most, according to the survey, are that Thessaloniki is a dirty city, with little greenery, atmospheric pollutants, encroachment of public space, noise pollution, low level of service from public transport, etc. The comforting thing is that, despite this bad image that visitors form about the city, when asked if they would recommend Thessaloniki to others and if they wish to visit it again, nine out of ten are positive. The very good performance, although it appears slightly lower compared to previous measurements, is due to the positive image formed by the visitors of Thessaloniki for its gastronomy and the general entertainment offered by the city.
This evaluation of the visitors to Thessaloniki does not differ, at least in its main points, from the one made by the people of Thessaloniki themselves. After all, it was expressed in the clearest way in last year’s election contests. Both in the national elections where the ruling New Democracy party gathered in A’ Thessaloniki one of the lowest percentages nationwide; and in the municipal elections with the overwhelming defeat of the former mayor Konstantinos Zervas.
The findings of the research, positive and negative, can nevertheless be a guide for those who have the responsibility to make decisions for everyday life and for the future of Thessaloniki. Primarily, of course, for the administration of the municipality, which must address the visible problems, visible even to the occasional visitors of the city, and provide solutions. Its first moves in this direction are positive, but the total fund will be made in the next two to three years.
The findings of the research should also concern the government, which, now almost five years into the matter, must show more interest in the city, deal more seriously and intensively with its problems, mainly in terms of infrastructure projects and public transport . To allocate more public and community resources and to abandon the plans for further reconstruction of the last free spaces, whether it is the TIF or the Kalamaria beach front, etc.
Finally, even the “trump cards” of Thessaloniki, at least as presented in the survey, namely the good food and the night entertainment, must be of concern to all the relevant bodies of the city. It is not possible for Thessaloniki to have only these in its showcase and not make use of its vast history, its important monuments, its culture. The distorted model of the city’s development, as it evolved during the crisis years, cannot continue in the same direction. That is, for Thessaloniki to remain an immense frapedoupolis.
