The Hellenic Institute of Marketing (HMA, Macedonia Branch) Forum, “Branding Thessaloniki: Tourism – Culture”, was carried out with great success within the framework of Philoxenia 2012. The Forum focused on the city of Thessaloniki as an attraction point and an export, tourism, cultural and business product.
The participants had the opportunity to discover the different aspects of the city through the presentations of distinguished professionals from Greece and abroad. Successful examples of good practice were discussed, as well as topics related to city branding, culture, tourism infrastructures and entrepreneurship.
Mrs Despina Amarantidou, Chairman of the Forum’s Organizational Committee, noted that “What we need is not limited to museums, good infrastructure and urban transport. We also need a collaborative spirit, synergy of bodies, political will. We need a strategic development of Thessaloniki as a tourist destination. That’s why it is really important to have a business plan engaging all related parties-professionals along with a communication plan, but also to make best use of our city’s logo “Many Stories, One Heart”.
In her closing speech, Mrs Amarantidou pointed that “The conclusions we reached in this Forum bring us face-to-face with the greatest challenge: How are we going to make it? How are we going to take full advantage of our potential and promote Thessaloniki so that we can create the city that we wish to live in and that deserves to find its place in the global tourism map?”
