TRAVEL TRADE ATHENS 2014 WORKSHOP a Marked Success

We are very proud that the second annual TRAVEL TRADE ATHENS Workshop has been marked as a success, attracting high participation and interest nationwide as well as great feedback by all participants. Travel Trade Athens has been established as the signature annual trade event for the Greek capital hosting selected international buyers focused on Athens and Greece. It is organized by the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency through the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) with the cooperation of the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), under the project management of ABOUTOURISM Destination Consultants. On Monday April 14th, 85 professional buyers-tour operators, travel agents, conference and corporate meetings organizers from 22 countries gathered at the Megaron Athens International Conference Center holding more than 2.000 B2B meetings with 170 tourism professionals and suppliers from Greece.

Furthermore, the hosted buyers to the Greek capital attended a hospitality program with a series of thematic fam trips and were introduced to the tourism portfolio and competitive advantages of Metropolitan Athens as a tourism destination. The MILLENNIAL travel think tank took place in parallel to the B2B meetings within the framework of TTA,  organized by International Connector in cooperation with ABOUTOURISM Destination Consultants, and focused on how Athens can tap the full potential of the millennial travel market. Interesting discussions took place and great ideas and experiences were shared amongst: - Greece/Athens Tourism authorities: Visit Greece & ACVB/ADDMA  - Top travel thought leaders from: Airbnb, Bamba Experience, Topdeck Travel, StudentUniverse, umi Digital, umi Hotels, Hall St., and - Greek young entrepreneurs & startup leaders from:  Mindworks interactive agency, Athens Daily Secret, dopios, Offerial & incrediblue You can find the full think tank program & description here   The second day of the Travel Trade Athens 2014 included the International Summit on City Tourism & Urban Development which took place at the Megaron offering top level presentations and discussions  on the subject for the local tourism industry representatives.

 International speakers and invitees included: - Top executives from the City of Athens Development & Destination Management Agency ADDMA, the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises SETE, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels HCH participated in a strategic round table discussion, offering their insights and answering questions on key issues of Tourism Planning & Urban development.

- Mr Ignasi de Delàs i de Ugarte (President of European Cities Marketing (ECM)/ Deputy General Manager of Turisme de Barcelona) who discussed the Role & Impact of Tourism in Cities - Ms Hila Oren, Founder and CEO, Tel Aviv Global, presenting the Case Study: Tel Aviv Non Stop City at the first part of the Session: City Tourism Planning, Management & Marketing: Global Success Stories, followed by - Mr Juan Carlos Belloso, Future Places, who presented the Spanish Example: Barcelona - Valencia – Bilbao cases. The final session of the Summit focused on 'Developing Urban Experiences for Visitors & Residents' where: - Mr Thomas Schönweitz, Founder of Whitespring Service Design, discussed 'Service Experience Design & Development' and - Mr Martin Schobert, Managing Director of tourismusdesign who presented 'Radical Innovation- Tools & Ideas to Increase Value for Travellers'.   A big thank you to all our international and national partners for their great contribution & support!   Find out more about Travel Trade Athens 2014 & consider what a similar initiative could bring to your destination! Drop us a line if you are interested in discussing details!