Greek-Turkish Joint Tourism Committee Holds Meeting in Athens

In a significant step toward furthering Greek-Turkish relations, the 5th meeting of the Greece-Türkiye Joint Tourism Committee was held in Athens on Wednesday.

The event saw the participation of Greece's Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, alongside a Turkish delegation.

Minister Kefalogianni highlighted the pivotal role of tourism in fostering closer ties between the two nations, describing it as the "backbone" of Greek-Turkish rapprochement. She emphasised how the tourism sector has helped break down long-standing stereotypes between the two peoples, contributing to mutual understanding and goodwill.

Reflecting on the progress made since the early 2000s, Kefalogianni noted that tourism flows between Greece and Turkey have grown dramatically. From just a few thousand visitors on either side, the numbers reached nearly one million before the pandemic, with a steady recovery underway this year.

The meeting focused on several key areas of collaboration, including sustainable tourism and strategies to address climate change. Both sides explored opportunities for expanding niche tourism sectors, such as agrotourism, gastronomy, maritime, and health tourism. They also discussed investments in tourism career training and other forms of cooperation aimed at bolstering the sector.

Minister Ersoy reaffirmed his commitment to deepening bilateral tourism relations, expressing confidence that the agreements reached during the meeting would play a crucial role in the future growth of tourism ties between Greece and Turkey.

(Source: Amna)