Evaluation of the European Championships Beach Handball EBT 2014 and 2016 and Their Impact in the City of Thessaloniki

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the success of the two events in Thessaloniki, not only for the sporting part but also for the tourism impact on the athletes and escorts of the missions. The survey sample was 127 and 126, tournament participants. The questionnaire used was an adaptation from the Tzetzis, Alexandris & Kapsampeli (2014) small-scale service quality survey questionnaire. The results showed that both two athletic competitions were successful, and the athletes have been satisfied. However, it seems that there was no emphasis on non-competition activities and Thessaloniki was not advertise well. The processing of the samples shows that the safety of a city, the friendliness of its inhabitants, the cost of living, has a direct correlation with the image of a city and can influence positively or negatively the visitors and contribute decisively to their desire to visit this city again. In conclusion, we might say that athletic events should not only focus on the sporting event but also on a better promotion and advertising of the place.