This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau

What This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau does

This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Athens, operating as a division of Develop Athens S.A. The organization runs two integrated platforms: the This is Athens visitor guide (thisisathens.org), a multilingual destination portal providing curated neighborhood guides, itineraries, events, restaurants, nightlife, and practical travel information in English, French, and German; and the ACVB itself, which serves as the B2B focal point between meeting planners and the local MICE industry, processing RFPs, sourcing venues, and connecting organizers with local partners.

The organization is structured as a public-private consortium co-funded by City of Athens, Aegean Airlines, Athens International Airport, and SETE (Greek Tourism Federation), with additional co-funding from the European Union (ESPA). It operates physical visitor information points at Syntagma Square and Athens International Airport, coordinates major events (including the Athens Marathon and Athens Photo World), runs the Travel Trade Athens annual event and the This is Athens Agora program for travel professionals, and has launched the Athens City Pass as a bundled attractions product. Supplementary programs include 'This is Athens with a Local' — themed volunteer-led walks — and a Conference Ambassadors initiative targeting international association meetings.

The business model combines nonprofit destination marketing with light commercial monetization. Core operating income comes from partner contributions and EU co-funding rather than direct revenue. Supplemental monetization levers include ACVB membership fees from tourism industry partners seeking visibility on the official Athens guide, the Athens City Pass product, and transactional referrals through the multilingual web portal. The target customer mix spans leisure visitors (consumer-facing travel planning), meeting planners and MICE organizers (B2B services), and tourism businesses (membership and visibility). With a disclosed headcount of 11 employees, the organization operates at the scale of a mid-sized European DMO focused on brand positioning, content curation, and ecosystem coordination rather than direct service delivery.

Name

This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau

Legal name

Develop Athens S.A.

Website

https://thisisathens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

This is Athens-ACVB is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Athens, operating a multilingual tourism portal (thisisathens.org) and serving as the B2B focal point for MICE planners, funded by a public-private consortium of City of Athens, Aegean Airlines, Athens International Airport, and SETE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing & Convention Bureau Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Attractions & Experiences Reservations (Museums, Tours, Theme Parks) (HSACALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA), Inbound/Local Retail Travel Agencies (Destination Booking Offices) (THAKABAH)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Convention bureau services
• MICE industry support
• Visitor information services
• City tourism promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens, Athens

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Destination Marketing Services: ACVB operates as a nonprofit destination marketing organization funded by partner contributions from City of Athens, Aegean Airlines, Athens International Airport, and SETE (Greek Tourism Federation). The organization does not generate direct revenue but facilitates tourism economic impact through promotion and convention services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

This is Athens - ACVB is the official destination marketing organization and convention & visitors bureau for the City of Athens. It promotes Athens as a tourism destination by providing a multilingual visitor guide website, on-the-ground visitor information points, MICE (meetings and conventions) planning services for meeting planners, a membership program for tourism industry professionals, volunteer-led themed walking tours, and bundled visitor products such as the Athens City Pass. The organization functions as a nonprofit funded by partner contributions rather than generating direct revenue from visitors.

Product overview

This is Athens is a dual-platform destination marketing organization consisting of the This is Athens Visitor Guide (the official tourism website) and the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB, focused on MICE/business tourism). The platforms are integrated under Develop Athens S.A., with supplementary programs including 'This is Athens with a Local' for experiential tourism and 'This is Athens Agora' for trade professionals. The offering is structured as a consumer-facing guide combined with a B2B meeting planner services portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• This is Athens Visitor Guide

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the top 25 best airports in Europe - Athens International Airport
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of AthenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Athens is the primary government partner in the This is Athens consortium. The municipal government collaborates on destination marketing, urban regeneration initiatives, and tourism development programs including street improvements, anti-tagging initiatives, and support for pop-up shops in the historic center.
• Aegean AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreece's largest airline and Star Alliance member connecting Athens to 151 destinations worldwide. Aegean Airlines supports Athens destination promotion and provides travel connectivity benefits for visitors to the city.
• Athens International AirportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAthens International Airport 'Eleftherios Venizelos' is ranked among the top 25 best airports in Europe, serving 133 international destinations and 26 Greek island destinations. The airport operates a visitor info point for incoming travelers.
• SETE (Greek Tourism Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSETE is the Greek Tourism Confederation providing statistical data, industry research, and tourism intelligence to support Athens destination marketing efforts and policy development.
• Stavros Niarchos FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Stavros Niarchos Foundation gifted US$860 million to the Greek state for construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC), a major cultural and recreational complex housing the Greek National Opera and National Library. The SNFCC hosts free events year-round and is a key attraction promoted by This is Athens.
• Greek National OperaminorOthersOne of the world's most modern opera houses, designed by Renzo Piano with the latest acoustic technology. The Greek National Opera relocated in 2017 to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre and performs at multiple venues including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
• National Library of GreeceminorOthersThe National Library of Greece moved in 2018 to a new glass building designed by Renzo Piano at the SNFCC. The collection includes 750,000 general items, 40,000 lending items, and 30,000 periodicals. Free reading rooms and workstations are available to visitors.
• Onassis FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Onassis Foundation operates Onassis Stegi, a contemporary arts and culture center opened in 2010 featuring theatre, dance, musical performances, and exhibitions. The seven-storey glass and marble building on Syngrou Avenue is one of Greece's most prolific cultural venues.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Visit Barcelona: Barcelona Tourism Board runs a multilingual destination portal and convention bureau services for a Mediterranean city, competing with Athens for similar European leisure and MICE segments.
• Visit London: London's official visitor guide and convention bureau operating multilingual content, trade engagement, and meeting planner services; directly comparable to This is Athens in both content platform and MICE support.
• Go Istanbul (Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau): Turkey's destination marketing organization promoting Istanbul as both a leisure and MICE destination — a direct Mediterranean competitor with overlapping source markets.
• Visit Dublin: Dubin's official tourism authority delivering consumer visitor content alongside MICE support; comparable in size, mandate, and dual leisure/B2B focus to This is Athens.
• Iamsterdam / Amsterdam Marketing: Amsterdam's official city marketing organization combining multilingual visitor content with convention promotion for a compact European cultural capital — directly comparable in scope and model.
• visitBerlin: Berlin's official city tourism marketing organization operating a multilingual destination portal and convention services, with comparable scope to This is Athens across leisure and business travel.
• NYC & Company: Official destination marketing organization for New York City, combining a consumer-facing visitor guide with convention bureau services for meeting planners — structurally identical to This is Athens across both leisure and MICE motions.
• Visit Dubai (Dubai Department of Tourism): Government-backed DMO operating a multilingual portal and convention bureau services for a destination that competes with Athens in MICE bidding and leisure marketing.
• Turismo Roma (Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau): Rome's official tourism and conventions body combining visitor information with MICE services for a Mediterranean cultural capital — direct peer in cultural-tourism and convention promotion.

Others

• European Cities Marketing: Network organization representing European city DMOs including Athens; an industry peer and ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, useful for benchmarking best practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/athenscvb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureau