The Contribution of Conference Tourism to the Local Economy. The Case of Thessaloniki

Vicky Dalkrani, Asimenia Salepaki and Dimitris Kourkouridis ()
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Vicky Dalkrani: TIF-HELEXPO SA
Asimenia Salepaki: Business & Exhibition Research and Development Institute
Dimitris Kourkouridis: TIF-HELEXPO SA

A chapter in Innovation and Creativity in Tourism, Business and Social Sciences, 2025, pp 685-701 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This research examines the contribution of conference tourism to the local economy of Thessaloniki, with an emphasis on the role of TIF-HELEXPO as a central pillar of this development. Business tourism, which includes travel related to professional and business incentives, is one of the most profitable sectors of the tourism industry. The concept of “bleisure” tourism, combining business travel with leisure, is rapidly growing. Conference tourism, as a subset of business tourism, boosts the local economy by increasing tourist spending, creating jobs, and promoting local entrepreneurship. Thessaloniki, with its long tradition of hosting events, shows increasing dynamism in this sector. TIF-HELEXPO, as a leading conference center, hosts hundreds of events annually, attracting thousands of participants and significantly contributing to the city’s economic development. However, fully leveraging the potential of conference tourism requires strategic investments and coordinated efforts in infrastructure development. This research analyzes the data on events and revenues of TIF-HELEXPO, highlighting their contribution to the local economy. The findings demonstrate the sector’s dynamism and the need for further enhancement of infrastructure and promotion strategies to maintain and develop Thessaloniki as a top conference destination.

Keywords: Conference tourism; Bleisure tourism; Business tourism; Economic impact; TIF-HELEXPO; Thessaloniki; R11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-031-87019-4_45

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-87019-4_45

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