Just three years after the Olympics, Athens has established itself as a key city break destination and is now gearing up for the world�s leading travel and tourism show dedicated to the city break sector.

Reed Travel Exhibition�s, City Break 2007, will see Europe�s leading buyers and suppliers of city breaks descend on the former Olympic host city for an intensive three-day workshop.

According to IPK�s World Travel Monitor, city based tourism accounts for almost 40% of total European outbound trips. In light of this, Athens is making the most of its post Olympic tourism potential and is promoting the European capital as a year round city break destination. Hotels and airlines are teaming up to create enticing packages highlighting the capital�s iconic cultural offerings alongside more contemporary pursuits such as art festivals, casinos, fashionable restaurants, chic bars and glamorous shopping.

Key to Athens� post-Olympic growth in the city break tourism sector is the overall increase of international passengers travelling to the historic city for leisure travel, which, since 2004, makes up 40-60% of foreign travel.

As reported by Athens International Airport (AIA), in 2006 alone, international leisure travel to Athens enjoyed an impressive 20% increase. In addition to the dense network of conventional carriers, AIA reports a 30% increase in low-cost carrier (LCCs) passenger traffic in 2006. Today, fifteen LCCs operate out of the award-winning airport serving 27 European destinations with recent additions including Aer Lingus, Air Baltic and KDavia.

Tour operators, hoteliers, tourist boards and Destination Management Companies (DMC) will all profit from Athens� Olympic experiences and accomplishments when the Greek capital hosts Reed Travel Exhibtion�s, City Break 2007. Sponsored by the European City Marketing (ECM), City Break 2007, will be held from the 11th -13th June 2007 at the Faliro Sports Pavilion.

�Agency travel and tourism industry professionals are sure to appreciate the invigorating sun-drenched days, clear blue skies, spectacular seas and archaeological monuments � the ideal backdrop for the City Break 2007 exhibition,� says Athina Vorillas, Public Relations Director of the Athens Tourism & Economic Development Agency. �The Conference and Exhibition will provide journalists and travel professionals the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at the new Athens. The city�s convenient geographical location makes it an ideal hub for trade professionals from Europe, Asia, the Balkans and the Middle East to attend."

Catherine Vaughan, Marketing Manager of City Break said: �This year we have a strong interest from suppliers in emerging cities in Croatia such as Rijeka, Zagreb and Split who will all be supporting the event again this year together with some of their main agencies and hotels. Similar interest is coming from Belgrade and Novi Sad in Serbia, Bratislava in Slovakia plus the Baltic States are showing steady growth including representation from Vilnius and Tallinn".

City break-ing news:

- Prague is cheapest for European short breaks. A Travelcare survey of the top 10 best selling European cities has found that Prague is the cheapest and Paris the most expensive. Based on the costs involved in a short break away, including a double room for two people at a four-star hotel for a two night weekend break; taxi from the airport to the city centre, a sightseeing bus tour; one-day city transport pass; entrance to a major museum/art gallery; a medium cappuccino; a pint of Guinness; a McDonald�s Big Mac; and a three-course hotel meal. Prague just cost �203.89 compared to Paris at �577.25. The full cost chart is as follows: 1. Prague �203.89; 2. Budapest �207.20; 3. London �266.99; 4. Barcelona �271.51; 5 Rome �323.71; 6 Copenhagen �380.39; 7 Dublin �385.76, 8. Amsterdam �401.36; 9. New York �546.41; 10. Paris �577.25.

- European city tourism is growing faster that the rest of the European economy. Since 2003/4 bed night growth in European city tourism has outperformed the most important European economic growth indicators1.

- The largest European metropolises are the true winners of the city tourism boom: Over the five years 2000 - 2005 benchmark period, Berlin, Barcelona and Prague were leading the city bed night growth ranking with a reported increase of more than 550,000 bed nights each year, followed by Milan, Dublin, Rome, Budapest and Hamburg, who reported above 300,000 additional bed nights each year2.

- Low Cost Carrier airlines are drivers for growth in the international bed night segment; in particular the British, German, French and Spanish source markets grew proportionally more in a number of cities, situated nearby a low cost carrier base airport. Examples are Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Dublin, Tallinn, Tarragona and Zurich3.

Source: 1, 2 & 3 s The European Cities Tourism REPORT 2006/07

-Ends-

Notes to editors:

Buyers and media can register online at: www.citybreakexpo.com

Reed Exhibitions is the world�s leading events organiser. In 2006 Reed brought together over six million industry professions from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held in 34 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organised by 37 fully staffed offices.

Reed organises a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. It�s portfolio of over 460 events serves 52 industry sectors, including: Aerospace and defence, building and construction, design, electronics, energy, oil and gas, entertainment, food and hospitality, gifts, healthcare, IT/telecoms, jewellery, manufacturing, marketing and business services, pharmaceuticals, property, publishing, security, sport and recreation, transport and logistics, travel.

Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2005, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of �1,002 million on turnover of �5,166 million.

Reed Travel Exhibitions organise 15 events worldwide: World Travel Market, Arabian Travel Market, C.I.S. Travel Market, EIBTM, British Travel Trade Fair, Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME), International Golf Travel Market, Top Resa, ICCA Exhibition, in association with the ICCA Congress, International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), La Cumbre, City Break, China Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM), Gulf Incentive Business Travel & Meetings (GIBTM) and Asia Luxury Travel Market (ALTM). For further press information, please visit the Reed Travel Exhibitions� website at www.reedtravelexhibitions.com

For further information about City Break 2007 or the programme of events please contact Paola Cubillos at Triggerfish Communications Tel: 0207 403 8894 Email paola@triggerfish.co.uk