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Tourism on Islands and Specific Destinations International Scientific Conference

Un i v e r s i t y of t h e Ae g e a n - School Interdepartmental Program of Post Graduate
Studies in Tourism Planning, Management and Policy, Chios Island, Greece December 14
16, 2000.





INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS FOR
SUSTAINABLE URBAN TOURISM

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN URBAN DESTINATIONS:
CASE STUDY OF THESSALONIKI


Maria Voultsaki,
Doctoral Researcher
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki - Department of Urban and Regional Planning and
Development, Thessaloniki, Greece



Abstract
The question of the issue is based on the following thought: as we already know, the
tourism development is focused either around cities either in cities. As a result, two events
take place: first of all, it uses the urban space either as an intermediary station either as a final
destination and, secondly, the tourism development happens to constitute the principal
component of the urban development. This leads us to the conclusion that the limits of tourist
and urban development are vague and after a while, it is useless to separate them.
If one would add the predictions of various studies by the European Travel Commission,
ETC that the urban tourism will be grown sooner than the summer holidays, mainly due to
small intervals, congresses, conferences, motives and reports and also the demand for cultural
visits and holidays will be increased with more rapid rhythms than other types of holidays and
particularly, the winter cultural sight-seeing will be increased sooner than the holidays for
winter sports, this could constitute an interesting issue (Tourist Market ; 1997).
Initially, we shall define a semantic frame for urban tourism and its evolution and then,
we shall notice the growth of the tourism phenomenon and its effects, mainly in territorial
level, in Thessaloniki.
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I. Tourism development in Greece

The Tourism for Greece plays an important role in the maintenance of financial
stability. In our country, the Tourism development started after the end of the Second World
War, the tourism arrivals from 210.000 in 1956 were increased to 5.557.109 in 1981 and
8.351.000 in 1988. According to the predictions of the international tourism arrivals in
Greece, the arrivals will present augmentative tendencies during 1997-2005 and will be
increased per 36,3 times in relation to 1969 (Varvaressos S.; 1998)
1
. The 85% of the tourism
movement takes place on May-October while the full months, when the 50% of the tourists
visits our country, are J uly, August and September (Drettakis; 1996)
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, which demonstrates
intensively the seasonal characteristic of tourism in our country. The specific data concern
mainly coast areas, islands, which either are specialized in foreign tourism and possess big
hotel units, either are specialized in local tourism, mainly under the form of summer
residence. The visitors in our country come mainly from Europe and especially, from
countries of the European Union (Germans and British) and, in a smaller percentage, from
North America. Thus, we notice the dependence on the international tourism in our
country. The main tourism destinations are: Rhodes, Corfou, Creta, Calchidica, Mikonos and
Santorini as well as Attiki - however lately there is a series of other smaller destinations
(Coccossis H., Mexa A.; 1997)
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- Consequently, we notice an unbalanced distribution of
tourism development. The above general characteristics of tourism are identified in many
cases with those of the urban tourism phenomenon in our country.

II. Tourism development in Urban Destinations: Urban
Tourism

The Urban Tourism is defined as the Tourism activity developed in an urban center
which has the appropriate tourism infrastructure and hyper-structure and those natural,
historical and cultural elements that render it an attraction pole for tourists, by supplying the
possibility for production and consumption of products and services. It is based on the
consumption of entertainment, which is offered on urban centers in an organized and
systematized way. The identity of the urban center, which becomes the object of the
development of the tourism activity, may be a metropolitan center with more than 1 million
inhabitants but also an historical center with fewer inhabitants or even small cities which are
historical, cultural and financial centers
4
.
The above are obvious in a theoretical and scientific level. In fact, the notion of urban
tourism only exists in identification with the forms of tourism phenomenon in cities (cultural,
council, religious etc)

1
Varvaressos S., 1998 TOURISM, Notions, Dimensions, Structures, The Greek Reality Propompos, Athens
2
Drettakis, 1996 How many tourists visit Greece and what amounts do they invest? Article in the newspaper
EXPRESS (18/12/96)
3
Coccossis H.Mexa A.1997, Tourism and Environment: the search of the balance
4
Research work Contribution of urban tourism programs in the evolution-reformation of historical centers. The
case study of Athens Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and Public Works, - Department of Urban
Planning and Land Planning, Athens 2000
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Trying to understand the phenomenon of urban tourism, it is possible to state the
following typology, which composes the urban tourism destinations of different scale (Page.
S.; 1995)
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Capitals of countries (London, Paris, New York)
Metropolitan centers and historical centers with ancient walls (Kaderburi, York) and small
cities-fortresses
Big historical cities (Oxford, Cambridge, Venice)
Coast and riverside upgraded areas (London Docklands, Sydney Darling Harbour)
Industrial cities (Bradford 19
th
century)
Coast resorts and resorts for winter sports (Lillehammer)
Integrated tourism resorts (purpose built)
Buildings of tourism entertainment (Disneyland, Las Vegas)
Centers of specialized tourism services (baths and shrines)
Cultural cities (Florence)

I.Expansion of the Urban Tourism

Urban Tourism, in an international level, started its development gradually since the
beginning of 80 and constitutes today a special distinguished form of tourism whose
importance is continually approved mainly in the local level. The most recent empirical
researches realized by the Danish Tourism Organization confirmed the intensified attraction
of urban destinations for the European tourists as well as the variety of their motives to visit
the cities. The 1/3 of the questioned are interested in sight-seeing in cities while it is estimated
that the 25% executes a tourism activity in relation with the urban cultural inheritance
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. In an
international level, even though Urban Tourism, as already mentioned, obtains constantly
greater approval, did not lead yet the Tourism science in a holistic consideration of
procedures and standards of cities evolution as tourism destinations.
It is claimed that big cities, and, in general, Urban Areas, constitute important tourism
destinations since they supply facilities to tourists, possess the required tourism infrastructure
which cover the special needs of the local population and of the visitors of these areas which
are also their attraction object by the local developing organizations. Since the beginning of
1980, the power organizations of urban centers started to face tourism as an activity which
can be incorporated in local programming of financial activity and harmoniously join the
promotion of local evolution. The principal reasons which helped in the tendency for the
evolution of urban centers through the promotion of special tourism forms were the limited
efficiency of the already developed financial activities and the need to incorporate new
financial activities that could avoid the financial stability and offer new impulse in the local
developing level with direct result the formation of revenue and employment.
At the extent in which the applications of urban tourism are implemented, dominates
gradually the opinion that urban tourism constitutes a further possibility, within the frame of
urban planning, for the evolution, the improvement of functionalism, administration and

5
Page. S., 1995, Urban Tourism, Routledge, London

6
Research Work Contribution of urban tourism programs in the evolution-reformation of historical centers. The
case study of Athens Ministry of Environment, Land Planning and Public Works - Department of Urban
Planning and Land Planning, Athens 2000
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management of the urban area. The specialists of local and urban design use the urban
tourism as a catalyst and factor of urban revival for the reinforcement of cities in a decline
crisis.
However, the existing studies paid less attention in the role of tourism in cities. This
happens even in big countries, London, New York where their tourism industry is an
important source of revenue formation and is responsible for the creation of thousand
employment posts (Fainstain, S.S.Gordon, I. and Harloe M.; 1992)
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. Furthermore, the
academic studies for the tourism of big cities consider that the cities are sources of creation of
tourism flows. Business trips and congresses (professional, council Tourism) and also trips to
friends and relatives, are hardly reflected in tourism systems of various countries.
Furthermore, the inconveniences regarding the separation of local inhabitants by the visitors
are also noticed and, consequently, the financial importance of tourism industry cannot be
estimated in a precise way. The lack of modern methodological frame that could sufficiently
estimate the financial and social dimension of tourism activity in the environment of the urban
centers and the general developing philosophy hinders the rational development of urban
tourism. It is estimated that Tourism, as a distinguished financial and social activity of service
supplies and goods offering and as a branch of the tertiary sector of economy that is referred
in a complex of industrial and commercial activities that service the tourism demand, may,
under certain circumstances, constitute the vehicle of developing procedure and cannot
constitute as it is an activity-base for the developing procedure since it is a latent resource.
Urban Areas, apart their productive role for the growth of tourism, function also as
admission centers or points of tourism currents. Thus, the urban area is examined as a part of
a complex system for the definition of the standard of tourism developed in it.

II. Urban Destination: Thessaloniki

The area under-study concentrates all the characteristics of a metropolitan center with
port. As analyzed above, Tourism, which is developed in such an area, is of completely
different form than the one in Island-coast areas, in mountainous or areas with ecological
interest.
The tourists who visit Thessaloniki have either specialized motives, either motives in
relation with the general characteristics of the city. The main trip types and motives registered
for the urban tourism are the following:

Types and motives of urban tourism trips
Visit the city for cultural purposes
As weve already mentioned, the urban tourism has a cultural content and is also combined
with certain administrational and organizational activities on cities functionalism. This kind of
tourism - cultural tourism - does not concern exclusively the touring in historical monuments,
the knowledge of the cultural inheritance of the area and the contact with the modern artistic
creation. The tourist-visitor feels an important experience since he has the possibility to visit
and meet closely monuments and works of art whose formation was also instructed in the
past. Simultaneously, the contact with the modern creation helps in the understanding and

7
Fainstain, S.S.Gordon, I. and Harloe M., 1992 Divided Cities: New York and London in the contemporary
world Oxford, Blackwell

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profound knowledge of habits, tendencies, ways of thinking of the indigenous, contributes in
the spiritual uplift and in the conscience that the world is not limited to our only personal area
of activity. (Comite Economique et Social, 1990). The civilization is a very concrete way in
which the various human societies live and are developed, by imprinting in the area of their
lives their own social characteristics. It is the way of living and the system of values produced
and takes their meaning through a specific geographic area.
Today, the experience suggests that in some cases the tourism activity may be used as a
tool for the protection and maintenance of the cultural inheritance (e.g. in Thessaloniki,
Ladadika area, Athonos Square, Ano Poli etc.). Gentle tourism uses under the form, for
example, of specialized museums, cultural centers or entertainment centers give the
possibility to activate historical areas by stimulating the interest of public, private
organizations for politics, organization and financial help in their protection. At the same
time, the particular interest of the visitors for the cultural inheritance may contribute to the
sensitization of the local population for the protection of such resources. Consequently, within
this frame, the evolution, the diffusion and the function of urban tourism may influence
significantly the Urban Areas.
Individual Professional Trip
(e.g. International Fair of Thessaloniki, Philoxenia, Agrotica, Infacoma, Flower Exhibition
etc.)
Organized professional trip
Small trip within the frame of a wider sightseeing in the country (e.g Vergina, Ancient
Pella, Cave of Petralona, Lake of Kerkini etc.)
Trip-intermediary station for natives who travel abroad
The advantage of the geographical location of Thessaloniki is an intermediary stations apart
the area of Northern Greece and for the surrounding Balkan countries and the rest Europe.
Trip-intermediary station within the frame of transition to another area of the
country for holidays
The fact that Thessaloniki is a coast area intensifies the advantage of the fixer of many
tourism destinations situated in a long distance around it (with main destinations, Chalkidiki,
Sporades and by road in tourism centers of Western and Eastern Macedonia - ski centers etc.)
Trip in holiday times or in weekends for holidays emphasizing on culture, relax and
entertainment
(E.g. Book Festival, Greek Song Festival, Cinema Festival, Festivals of Open Theater,
Dimitria: musical and theatrical manifestations, Festivals of Open Theater, Wine and
Gastronomy Festival etc).
Trip for medical reasons
(Inter-Balkan Medical Center etc.)
Trip for visit of friends or relatives
Trip of small or one-day duration for the settlement of administrative affairs for
social reasons or shopping
Trips for educational or scientific reasons
The combination of tourism and culture presents a sense of dynamism. Characteristic case is
the congresses that contribute significantly to the evolution of tourism sector in Greece.
Between 1989-1992, we notice the increase of the total number of congresses per 15.5%. In
Thessaloniki, we notice the existence of an intense business and scientific activity, without
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observing the ratio in infrastructures and plants, apart few exceptions mainly in its central and
eastern area.
Consequently, according to the above, we notice that the main characteristic of
Thessaloniki is that
It is transformed in a transitory center of tourism trips and services addressing to native
and foreign people.
The motive of tourist visits, lasting not over 3 days, is the use of tourism infrastructures
and services of the area and for the realization of another trip towards another area of the
country or abroad
The area under-study is still out of the classification for areas with problems due to the
intense tourism evolution or for areas, which are not, exploited tourism ally and the above
factors have contributed to this.

III. Consequences of the Tourism Phenomenon in Urban
Areas

As already noticed, the phenomenon of tourism presents a particularity regarding the
way of structure and operation, which is very important concerning the provoked effects. The
Tourism as an important universal activity is distinguished by a diffusion of financial profits
between the way of admission and the wider system: travel agencies, air and advertising
companies, multinationals etc. At the same time, we notice a range of effects in the social
tissue and the natural receptor, exclusively in the place of destination of visitors.
Two are the coefficients that intensify the pressures in the environment - abiotic and
biotic: first of all, the increased concentration of visitors in an area and secondly the seasonal
concentration. This means that for a very small period of time, a great number of visitors are
concentrated in a small area. This time and local over-concentration of humans and activities
overpasses sometimes the resistance level of the system. (Lozato Giotart J .P.; 1990)
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Although the visitors who choose big urban centers for tourism are characterized, in their
majority, by their sensitivity in environmental issues, the phenomenon of environmental
degradation in those areas is frequent. The over-concentration of visitors is a menace for the
cultural resources-monuments and buildings- due to frequent use of areas and to the pollution
provoked. Other important problems presented in this area, which will be analyzed below, are
the following: the traffic, the noise, the parking - absence of appropriate areas, intensifies the
problem of traffic, the problem of increased waste production etc.

IV. Territorial Effects of the Tourism development in
Thessaloniki

Regarding the level of space organization it is noticed an intense urbanization, which is
expanded in the whole territory of the area, in order to satisfy the demand in hotel rooms,
entertainment areas, restaurants etc. This, in turn, will result to: insufficiency of areas for
expansions of activities, increase of cost and of transportation time, mixture of non-
conventional land uses and pollution problems. The effects in the local society, which has to
face the increased living cost since the attraction of the area is increased significantly, are also

8
Lozato Giotart, J .P; 1990, Mediterranee et Tourisme, Masson, Paris

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very important. The pressures to the infrastructure, the services (e.g. museums) and the
services like the public transport etc) are equally important. The versions of the intensified
problems may and can be researched in the lack of applied policy founded in the principles of
florescence, in direct relation with a respective policy for the environmental, land planning
and urban planning reformation of the area.
The side effects of the resistance to the classification of plants without programming and
the weaknesses to implement a more balanced environmental policy in a regional and friendly
point of vu, may become particularly traumatic, by reducing in the long run the international
competitiveness of tourism resources of the area.
The most important side effects are imprinted in brief as follows:
Gradual alteration of the physiognomy of the historical areas, like the historical center-
traditional core of the city
Intense swelling of the traffic problem
Gradual demerit of limited infrastructures
Gradual demerit of one by the main tourism resources: the sea, the sewage, lacks of plants
of biological cleansing
In Thessaloniki, according to the needs and the requirements of the city, we notice lately
the transformation of the following situation, regarding the territorial evolution of tourism
activities:
Intense dipole of low and high quality of hotel rooms
Lack of space for the installation of big hotel units in the center of the city.
Unequal territorial distribution of tourism operations: concentration of hotels and other
tourism services in specific areas resulting to surplus in some and respectively deficit to
others.
Gradual increase of tertiary activities - between them and the operations of the tourism
sector - and in other areas except the center of the city, simultaneously to main road axles.
Diffusion of tourism activities - particularly big hotel units, casino, entertainment stores
that operate during summer months and change the whole scenery of the area - the
periurban eastern zone with direct effects in the organization of the urban and periurban
area. The organization of activities in the periurban space is not foreseen in any urban
planning plan. (Voultsaki Marili; 1998)
9

As far as the territorial design is concerned, the effort to decentralize the operations of a
business center in local centers-cores in the region as well as the installation of activities like
trade-representations-multistoried in the periurban zone of Thessaloniki, helps in the
decentralization of the center and, consequently, the best service except the permanent
population and the visitors of the city but not in long turn. The fact that there are no special
regulations in the existing urban planning and land planning legislation regarding especially
the classification of tertiary activities but is executed within the frame of special provisions of
the legislation of urban planning and land planning concerning either the definition of land
uses, either the classification procedures and the issue of building licenses, may offer an

9
Voultsaki Marili, 1998 Survey of Tertiary Activities and Residential Development in the Area of Thermi
Thesis. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architects, Field of Urban
Planning, Land Planning and Peripherical Development
8
appearing temporary flexibility but hinders the long-term rational development of the city
(Kafkalas Gr.; 1999 )
10

Finally, another inhibitory factor for the harmonious evolution of the tourism activity,
in the case of urban destinations, is the split of administration into private and public
organizations, local and national governmental organizations or offices. This fact aggravates
the historical cities
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. It is a general phenomenon in Greek space: the multi-split of
organizations in the extent of representation of the private initiative in combination with the
coverings of responsibilities of governmental organizations, leads to the hindering of the
carrying out of results and, consequently, their transfer to a business level. However, the
Hotel Chamber, when legislated, was meant to be a Government Counselor. This opposition
existing between the interests and the different mentality of the hotels and the other tourism
branches, e.g. tourism agencies (tourism agencies believe that hotels are their extension), does
not allow the appearing of a unique line in the Government and their unified representation

V. Concluding Remarks

Today, at the extent the applications of the urban tourism are implemented, dominates
gradually the opinion that the urban tourism is another possibility, within the frame of the
urban design, for the development, the improvement of functionalism, of administration and
management of the urban area.
On the other side, the general delay of development of the urban tourism in Greece,
except its disadvantages, has the advantage of exploiting the concentrated international
experience, particularly regarding the study of effects of the tourism in cities (Defner.A.
1999)
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The four categories of tourism effects in cities already mentioned are inter-related.
Under this point of view, the facing of problems created by those effects requires the
formulation and the application of a policy which wont concern exclusively the urban
planning or the culture or the tourism but will combine the urban planning policy with the
policy for spare time or cultural policy.
The above activities and policies would better be included in an integrated plan of
tourism administration that should be based on the respect of environmental values,
appreciate the foreseen effects by the tourism concentration, defines the uses and activities, in
the base of an index system for the prediction of concentration risks, pressure, overstepping of
any kind of capacity
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10
Kafkalas Gr.1999 THESSALONIKI: Reduction of Monocentricity in the Building Complex and the Role of
the Tertiary Sector, Un.Aristotle of Thessaloniki, Field of Urban Planning, Land Planning and Regional
Development, Ministry of Environment, Land Planning and Public Works, Organization of Regulatory Plan and
Protection of the Environment in Thessaloniki, Ziti, Thessaloniki
11
Research Work Contribution of urban tourism programs in the evolution-reformation of historical centers.
The case study of Athens Ministry of Environment, Land Planning and Public Works - Department of Urban
Planning and Land Planning, Athens 2000
12
Defner.A. 1999 Cultural tourism and spare time activities: the effect in the operations of the cities in: The
Development of Greek Cities. Scientific Approaches of the Urban Analysis and Policy, sur. Ikonomou D.,
Petrakos G., University Editions, Thessaly, Gutenberg
13
Research Work Contribution of urban tourism programs in the evolution-reformation of historical centers.
The case study of Athens Athens 2000


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References

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Sustainable Tourism, European Experiences, Edwards A., Priestley G., Coccossis H., (eds.),
CAB International
Coccossis H., Mexa A. (1997), Tourism and Environment: the search of the balance
Defner.A. (1999) Cultural tourism and spare time activities: the effect in the operations
of the cities in: The Development of Greek Cities. Scientific Approaches of the Urban
Analysis and Policy, sur. Oikonomou D., Petrakos G., University Editions, Thessaly,
Gutenberg
De Kadt Em., (1979), Tourisme: passeport pour le development?, Paris, Banque
Mondiale UNESCO
Drettakis, (1996) How many tourists visit Greece and what amounts do they invest?
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Fainstain, S.S., Gordon, I., and Harloe, M., (1992), Divided Cities: New York and
London in the contemporary world, Oxford, Blackwell
Kafkalas Gr. (1999) THESSALONIKI: Reduction of Monocentricity in the Building
Complex and the Role of the Tertiary Sector, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Field of
Urban Planning, Land Planning and Regional Development, Ministry of Environment, Land
Planning and Public Works, Organization of Regulatory Plan and Protection of the
Environment in Thessaloniki, Ziti, Thessaloniki
Law C.M., (1993), Urban Tourism: Attracting Visitors to Large Cities, Mansell
Publishing Limited, London
Lozato Giotart, J .P; (1990), Mediterranee et Tourisme, Masson, Paris
Pearce D., (1990)Tourist Development, Longman, London
Page. S., (1995), Urban Tourism, Routledge, London
Varvaressos S., (1998) TOURISM, Notions, Dimensions, Structures, The Greek
Reality Propompos, Athens
Voultsaki Marili, (1998), Tertiary Activities and Residential Development in the Area
of Thermi Diploma Thesis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Faculty of Engineering,
Department of Architects, Department of Urban and Regional Development
Research work Contribution of urban tourism programs in the evolution-reformation
of historical centers. The case study of Athens Ministry of Environment, Urban Planning and
Public Works, - I.M.P., Department of Urban Planning and Regional Development, Athens
2000