The very favourable booking trend for holidays in Thessaloniki and Halkidiki was confirmed by the German tourism professionals who participated in the familiarisation trip-Fam Trip (5-9 June) organised in the region by the German Foreign Office.

The GNTO cooperated for the trip with the prestigious educational business travel organisation Willy Scharnow from Germany, the airline Aegean, the Tourist Organisations of Halkidiki and Thessaloniki and Zeus International Hotels and Resorts and nine representatives of tourist agencies and the representative of the specialist travel organiser to Thessaloniki and Halkidiki, Studiosus GmbH, took part in the trip.

The aim of the trip was to further promote the two destinations on the German market and to integrate them into existing holiday packages. It should be noted that the Willy Scharnow Foundation has been offering educational tours and seminars since 1953, expanding the professional opportunities for the younger generation in tourism. In cooperation with a multitude of partners in the German tourism industry, the foundation organises annually about 60 workshops and educational tours around the world with about 600 participants from travel agents and tour operators’ staff.

As highlighted in a relevant announcement, the familiarisation trip achieved its goal by highlighting the comparative advantages of the destinations visited: Thessaloniki as a gateway and city break destination in combination with the diverse tourism product of Halkidiki, which combines summer holidays on its unique coastline with a wealth of alternative activities.