PM Announces Major Renovation of Thessaloniki Int’l Fair Complex

The last part of August and early September is “Christmas Eve” as far as spending pledges by whatever Greek government is in power at the time, given that the specific period coincides with the prime minister’s annual state-of-the-economy address that inaugurates the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).

So too this year, where incumbent Kyriakos Mitsotakis is set to address the annual trade exhibition as prime minister for a seventh consecutive time, as he and his center-right New Democracy (ND) party have emerged victorious in two straight general elections and with enough support to create one-party governments.

Beyond the usual speculation over tax cuts, tax breaks, economic policy and funding for various projects – usually with the Thessaloniki area and the Macedonia-Thrace at the forefront – this year’s “laundry list” of promised initiatives includes a whopping 120 million euros for upgrading the actual fairgrounds with the Thessaloniki International Fair takes place, the Helexpo grounds in the northern Greece city’s downtown.

While billed as major trade exhibition to bring together companies, traders and merchants from the wider region, Helexpo’s TIF, which this year numbers its 89th edition, has for the past many years relied greatly on state-run utilities, agencies and wider public sector entities to fill its pavilions.

For many years, in fact, if not decades, speculation has swirled over the prospect of relocating the exhibition outside central Thessaloniki and even privatizing Helexpo.

In announcing the initiative on Thursday, Mitsotakis, without a prompt, said that no hotel would be constructed at the current site and that no private participation was foreseen.

“… No hotel will be built, and there will be no private participation, but it will be built with national funds amounting to 120 million euros. We will maintain the same footprint, we’ll renovate the Vellidio (conference center), which is a landmark of the city, and significantly expand the green space. At the same time, a 600-space car park will be built to meet the needs of the city’s center. We want the support of the municipal authorities in this.”

Source: Tovima.com