Greek islanders want visa program for Turkish tourists returned

Greek tourist authorities have appealed to the Greek government and the European Union to reinstate the special visa programme applying to Turkish nationals, which allowed them to travel to a number of Greek islands.

According to the program, Turkish tourists who wished to visit the islands of Lesvos, Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios, Symi and Kastellorizo for a limited period of time could issue visas at the ports of these islands. The measure was introduced in 2012 in an effort to boost tourism revenues but expired on October 30, 2016 and not renewed by the European Union.

In a joint press release, Lesvos’ Chamber of Commerce, the Union of Tourism, Travel and Shipping Agents and island’s Hoteliers Association criticised the non-renewal of the program, and called on “everyone and especially the Greek government, which apart from meetings and announcements to the media have done nothing for Lesvos, to get serious and take all necessary steps to solve the problem that has been created, as if the problems and disasters they have brought on us were not enough. Our perseverance and our tolerance have been exhausted,” they added.

Alternate Foreign Minister George Katrougalos claimed in a letter to the Prefect of Northern Aegean Christiana Kalogirou that the Greek government had tried to resolve the matter and have the visa programme reinstated but without any success.

“I would like to inform you that despite strenuous efforts and continuous interventions of the Foreign Ministry, both towards the European Commission and the European Commission Vice-President [Frans] Timmermans, Migration Commissioner [Dimitris] Avramopoulos and the Director General of the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs [Matthias] Ruete, it was not possible to extend the pilot visa facilitation program for the islands of the northern and southern Aegean after October 30, 2016,” the minister said.