Following Greece’s introduction of the visa-on-arrival program for Turkish tourists, around 20,000 Turks visited five Greek islands in the Aegean Sea throughout the nine-day Eid al-Fitr vacation, according to the Hurriyet daily.
The number of Turkish tourists visiting those Greek islands increased by 20 percent compared to the same period of last year, the paper says.
In the first 10 days of April, 3,800 Turkish travelers visited the Greek island of Lesvos, up from only 390 a year ago, while the number of Turks visiting Chios rose from 2,716 to 4,993.
Nearly 6,000 Turkish holidaymakers traveled to Rhodes during the Eid, up from 2,320 a year earlier. Samos and Kos welcomed 2,851 and 3,300 Turkish tourists, respectively.
In early April last year, some 5,969 Turks visited those five Greek islands.
Turkish tourists’ interest in Greek islands is likely to continue during the summer season as well as during the upcoming holidays on April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day and Eid al-Adha, said Engin Ceylan from the Association of the Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).
Going on a holiday in Türkiye is more costly due to inflation while vacationing on Greek islands has become more affordable for Turkish people, according to Ceylan.
Turkish visitors spend twice as much as tourists arriving on the island with charter flights, said Kostas Moutzouris, the Greek governor for the North Aegean region.
Greece has been offering fast-track visas for Turkish tourists to ten 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 upon at the meeting between Greek Prime Minster Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Athens last December will came 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. These are all situated near the Turkish coast and are 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 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 were well-established quite a while 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 go on vacation to Kos are among the most loyal of 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,” she said in the framework of the ITB International Tourism Exhibition in Berlin. “It is a country that has a lot in common with Greece in terms of culture, food, dances and much more.”