Greece as an ideal year-round tourist destination was presented with great success at the B2C outdoor event for retirees “Seniordagen 2024”, held at Kungsträdgården central square in Stockholm on 7 May 2024.
On 15 May 2024, also in Stockholm, the GNTO participated for the first time in the annual SRF (Association of Swedish Travel Industry) event ‘Resebranschens Vårmöte’, promoting Greece and its gastronomy to over 200 industry professionals, where the upward trend in bookings, compared to 2023, from the Nordic countries to Greek destinations was noted.
Seniordagen 2024 – 7 May – Stockholm
This is an annual event which has been held since 2015, exclusively designed for Sweden’s niche audience of retirees (Silver Generation), which amounts to approximately 2,000,000 people and who hold around 70% of the country’s disposable income.
The GNTO participated for the second year in the event with a pavilion of 18 square meters, as part of the communication strategy of the Ministry of Tourism and the GNTO, aiming to promote Greece’s tourism product by highlighting thematic and special forms of tourism to a specialised audience.
The response and interest of the visitors was significant, which according to the organisers amounted to approximately 25,000 people, the majority of whom were over 55+ (retired), who have free time and sufficient income. Greece and in particular our islands (Crete, Rhodes, the Ionian and NE Aegean islands, Sporades) are a favourite holiday destination for most of them, who told us that they visit them every year.
A particularly high percentage showed interest in new, uncrowded destinations, where they will have the opportunity – in addition to the sea and the sun – to enjoy moments of relaxation and tranquility close to nature (e.g. destinations for Hiking, Biking, Gastonomy, Wellness, Sailing, etc.).
As part of the action, an article by the GNTO on Greek destinations was published in the special edition “Det Ljuva Livet” (The Good life), which was published as an “insert” in Sweden’s largest newspaper Aftonbladet Newspaper with a circulation of 450,000 sheets and over 4,000,000 readers, before the event took place.
Resebranschens Vårmöte, SRF – 15 May – Stockholm
The participation of the Nordic & Baltic States GNTO in the organisation of the annual SRF (Association of Swedish Travel Industry) event “Resebranschens Vårmöte”, held on 15 May 2024 in Stockholm, was successfully completed.
This event, in which the GNTO participated for the first time this year, was attended by more than 200 industry professionals (travel agencies, airlines, T.O.s, Experts, online travel agencies, buyers, etc.) and media representatives, where issues concerning the future of the tourism industry were discussed.
Of particular interest was the presentation of global research by Gapminder Foundation Statistician Ola Rosling on how the world develops in times of pandemic, economic recession and geopolitical turmoil and changes in the global quality of life. The event concluded with a dinner, where participants were served Greek delicacies accompanied by melodies from the Stockholm Jazz orchestra Stockholm.
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SRF CEO Mr. Didrik von Seth, after thanking the Greek National Tourism Organisation for its participation in the event and for providing the Greek dishes at the dinner, said that both the Greek islands and mainland Greece are an ideal holiday destination throughout the year.
During the event, B2B meetings were held with representatives of other tourism organisations, and TOs. During the meeting with Mr. Claes Pellvik, Head of Communications of Nordic Leisure Travel Group (formerly Ving), it was noted the smooth, and with upward trends compared to 2023, the course of bookings from the Nordic countries to Greek destinations.
