On the occasion of World Tourism Day, Fraport Greece organized, for the fourth consecutive year, a special event at Thessaloniki “Macedonia” Airport, centered on the connection between Thessaloniki and Mount Olympus. Through gastronomy, the event highlighted the distinct identity of both destinations and the relationship between them, proposing a unified travel narrative: “THESSALONIKI. YOUR PATH TO OLYMPUS”. This year’s theme carries special symbolic weight, as Olympus was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in July 2026 as a mixed property, recognizing its outstanding natural and cultural value. Thessaloniki, meanwhile, has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Gastronomy since 2021.
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Two UNESCO wonders
The event, built around the central message “Land for Taste, Rise for Myth. One getaway, two UNESCO Wonders”, took place on Monday, September 28, in the departures area of Thessaloniki “Macedonia” Airport, in collaboration with the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Municipality of Thermi, and the Thessaloniki Hotel Association.
Travelers and visitors had the opportunity to discover, through flavors and gastronomic references, two distinct yet deeply interconnected worlds: on one side, Thessaloniki — a city of multicultural identity — and on the other, Mount Olympus and the surrounding regions, with their rich local traditions, PDO products, and flavors tied to the mountain and its foothills. In this way, gastronomy served as a common meeting ground for the two destinations, transforming departure from the airport into the starting point of a broader journey of discovery.
Giorgos Vilos, General Director of Development at Fraport Greece, commented: “With great pleasure, we celebrated World Tourism Day once again at Thessaloniki ‘Macedonia’ Airport, creating a unique experience for travelers and visitors to the city. The inclusion of Olympus on the UNESCO World Heritage List is a significant occasion to highlight its unique connection with Thessaloniki and to present the airport as the very first point of this travel journey. Through gastronomy, we brought two destinations with different yet equally distinctive identities closer together, showcasing what unites them and enriches the overall travel experience.”
