Greece has introduced a special on-the-spot day visa for Turkish tourists, making it easier for them to visit 10 Greek islands. Greek business owners are hopeful that this will help make up for the decrease in Israeli tourists.
The announcement came after Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last December. The new visa allows travellers from Turkey to visit these islands quickly and easily.
The visa is valid for seven days and will give access to islands like Kalymnos, Limnos, Leros, Kos, Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes, Symi, and Kastelorizo. These islands are near Turkey and have always been popular with Turkish tourists, despite tensions between Greece and Turkey.
Lefteris Papakalodoukas, the Mayor of Symi Island, praised the decision, saying it strengthens the bond between Greece and Turkey in tourism and culture. He pointed out that Symi is especially loved by Turkish visitors, especially those who come on yachts.
Before this change, Turkish visitors had to go through a long process to get a visa from the Greek Consulate in Izmir. But now, the new fast-track system makes it much simpler, and thousands of people have already shown interest.
Giannis Papavasileiou, the President of the Hotel Owners Association, believes that more Turkish tourists will help the local economy, especially since there has been a decrease in Israeli tourists.
Locals are eager to start welcoming more Turkish visitors, and they hope to see this new system in place soon, possibly by this summer.
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