Tourism marketing strategy, a case study for the City of Thessaloniki, including tourists and tourism professionals

Abstract

This study aims to explore the potential of city tourism development in Thessaloniki (Greece) by analyzing the destination and proposing a strategic marketing plan to promote the city as an all year round tourism destination. This paper firstly examines some recent literature and discusses both the theoretical concept of destination experience and its measurement. Then, it describes the sample and measures employed in the empirical study. It is followed by the reporting of the empirical research results. Finally, it concludes by identifying certain implications. Results lead to the proposition of a marketing plan for the development of city tourism in Thessaloniki, that highlights the need of reinforcing and promoting particular cultural routes, cruise, and gastronomy tourism and health tourism experiences at the destination. © 2019 Texas A and M University.