The time of the year has come for the major annual exhibition of Greece, the 23rd Philoxenia International Exhibition. It is held in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, also known as the sub-capital of Greece – the second largest city. It is 4 1/2 – 5 hr drive or a 35min flight from Athens.
After a good summer season for Greece and following the closing of the seasonal hotels, the event is going to be something between a vacation for the professionals and a place to see friends from the travel and tourism industry. Of course we all will do business, but I think that this time its going to be more care free type of doing business rather than what happened other years were every one was pretending to be cool. Now everyone is cool!
I almost forgot to tell you that is starts tomorrow November 1st and ends on Sunday November 4th. The first day is usually the putting up the stand day, leading to the evening opening event, which is done by the Minister of Tourism. Following the September general elections in Greece we have a new Minister of Tourism, Mr Aris Spyliotopoulos. So its going to be his first time as Minister of Tourism to pronounce the opening of Greece’s Tourism Exhibition and to deliver the travel and tourism policy of the year to come.
Once all that is done and over with…the party starts. Both in the exhibition halls and outside, after exhibition hours. The most notorious party, which has become a tradition, is that of “Travel Plan” (one of the largest tour operators in Greece). Its on the Friday’s of the exhibition, Nov. 2 this time, and goes on till early in the morning. Once that event is over, its like … what new in town each night.
As tourism promotes piece, friendship, culture, etc., that is the way this exhibition is going to flow, while doing business and preparing for the next worldwide major event in two weeks, which is the World Travel Market in London.