Canceled Thessaloniki trade fair will cost local economy an estimated €150 million

The cancellation of this year’s Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), for the first time since WWII, is expected to result in a loss of up to €100 million, businessmen in northern Greece say.

Some say the total loss, including secondary benefits, could result in an earnings loss of €150 million for Greece’s second largest city.

These benefits include the accommodation and dining costs of the exhibitors and many of the visitors – of whom there were 263,737 last year – the cost of building and maintaining the pavilions, earnings from side events such as concerts and the earnings of support services, such as transport and logistics.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will give the traditional keynote speech outlining economic policy priorities for the coming year on the grounds of TIF, in front of a restricted audience.