Greece is offering fast-track visas for Turkish tourists in 10 eastern Aegean islands in a ground-breaking move that would increase tourist flows and promote the people-to-people relationship.
The move that was agreed at the meeting between Greek Prime Minster Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Athens last December will come into effect this tourist season.
The on-the-spot, seven-day visa will facilitate access to islands including Kalymnos, Limnos, Leros, Kos, Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes, Symi, and Kastelorizo, all near the Turkish coast and historically popular with Turkish visitors despite tense Greek-Turkish relations.
Previously, Turkish visitors faced a lengthy visa process via the Greek Consulate in Izmir. The new fast-track system simplifies entry, with thousands already showing interest.
Greece’s eastern Aegean islands favorites among Turkish tourists
One of the favorite destinations of Turkish tourists is Kos, which is easily accessible from the Turkish coast throughout the year. For the local economy and society, the benefits of good bilateral relations are important and well established a long time ago.
Matina Voukelatou Christodoulidis, deputy mayor for Tourism and Culture, in Kos, told Deutsche Welle, that the fast-track visa for Turkish nationals will confirm a reality that the islanders are already experiencing: The Turkish neighbors who choose to take their holidays in Kos are among the best customers.
“Over the years, they have established close friendships, professional relationships and even family ties on the island,” she said.
“Turkey is that neighboring country at the moment, with which we should have a common line in our tourism strategy. It is a country that has a lot in common with Greece in terms of culture, food, dances and much more,” she said in the framework of the ITB International Tourism Exhibition in Berlin.
Kos, an island almost identified with all-inclusive tourism, aims to combine the extension of the tourist season with the promotion of alternative forms of tourism, such as cycling tourism, religious tourism, and wine tourism but also the promotion of the legacy of Hippocrates.
Symi Island Mayor, Lefteris Papakalodoukas, praised the initiative, highlighting recently the strong ties in tourism and culture between Greece and Turkey. He noted Symi’s popularity among Turkish yachters, with the island seeing significantly higher boat arrivals compared to others like Rhodes.
Giannis Papavasileiou, the President of the Hotel Owners Association, told Euronews that the influx of visitors from Turkey is expected to increase, compensating for the shortfall caused by the lack of Israeli tourists, and ultimately benefiting the local economy.