Athens Convention Bureau meets associations and buyers in Brussels

With a record 5 million visitors travelling to Athens in 2017, the City of Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) of the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency is intensifying its efforts to promote the Greek capital as a leisure and business destination.

In this context, the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a course of activities to reposition Athens in the Meetings Industry and promote the Greek capital as a world-class meeting and convention destination. Brussels is the second stop in a series of events powered by the city’s most important industry stakeholders, designed to demonstrate the destination’s competitive advantages and showcase the city’s convention infrastructure in a vibrant, interactive and lively manner. 

The Athens Roadshow in Brussels took place on Tuesday May 8 at 17.30 at the Altiero Spinelli Building of the European Parliament in the heart of Brussels. Attendance was by invitation only, targeting local senior associates of large Associations, event companies and corporates with headquarters in the respective city. Local representatives from MICE media, trade associations and core PCO’s were also invited in order to have an integral appeal to all respective parties in the industry.

The Mayor of Athens, Mr. Georgios Kaminis, sent his own message to the participants, stressing that Athens is more than able to hold successful meetings and conferences. "In 2017 we had a record breaking year of arrivals in Athens, boosting the city’s local economy and attracting investment bymajor hotel groups in the city. We are witnessing a hotel boom, with new hotel units built in the centre for contemporary business and leisure travelers. At the same time, Athens was recently recognized as one of the top conference destinations in Europe, confirming what we have accomplished these past few years in the area of business tourism. It is no exaggeration to say that Athens is experiencing a tourism spring."

Ms Maria Logotheti, President of the City of Athens Development and Destination Management Agency, confirmed the City of Athens’ investment in promoting Athens as an ideal destination for business tourism. "The City of Athens will continue to focus on projects showcasing our city’s professionalism in organising meetings and events. We have chosen to travel to the heart of Europe, a journey that encompasses our recovery efforts. We, at the City of Athens view tourism as the key driver for growth and sustainability and will continue to invest and tap into fields that mobilize the most extrovert and dynamic parts of society," she added.

All activities developed within the Athens Roadshow presentations are supported by major industry stakeholders, including AEGEAN, conference venues, leading hotels in the city and well known PCO’s.

Promoting conference tourism has long been a priority for the City of Athens, with the sector contributing substantially to local economy development. Athens, in recent years, has climbed among the top 26 most popular conference tourism destinations in the world, hosting 76 association conferences in 2017 (ICCA Statistics Report 2017) and a lot more corporate and incentive events all year round.

 www.developathens.gr / www.athenscvb.gr / www.thisisathens.org