Express Visa Plan – Influx of Turkish Tourists to Greek Isles

Tens of thousands of Turkish visitors have taken advantage of an “express visa” program for certain Greek isles in the eastern Aegean, which has been in place for the past four months. The visa allows Turkish citizens to spend time in select Greek islands.

According to the German media outlet Rheinische Post, this has negatively affected popular Turkish coastal destinations like Bodrum and Cecme, which it claims are almost empty. The article adds that “President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan likely did not envision this as the improvement in relations with Greece when he signed the agreement with Prime Minister (Kyriakos) Mitsotakis last December.”

One of the key reasons behind the influx of Turkish tourists to the Greek islands is apparently lower prices in Greek tourist destinations compared to the coastal resorts in western Turkey, particularly in the food and accommodation sectors. Many Turks, “instead of posting pictures of beaches and sunsets on social media, are sharing receipts from the restaurants where they dine,” the piece notes.

However, “for German tourists, Turkey remains one of the cheapest vacation destinations in Europe, even cheaper than Greece.” According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, holidays in Turkey are 41% cheaper for Germans this year compared to vacations in Germany, while holidays in Greece are only 23% cheaper. The reason for this difference lies in the preferences of foreign tourists: “European vacationers prefer all-inclusive hotels, while Turks opt for smaller accommodations and dining out.

Meanwhile, bookings in Greece by Albanian tourists hit an all-time high in 2024, marking a cataclysmic shift from the pre-1990 era when the citizens of the Adriatic country were strictly confined within their borders under a tyrannical regime.

Source: tovima.com