Express Visa Program Boosts Turkish Tourism to Greek Islands

A 7-day express visa program, launched in April 2024 as part of an agreement between Greece and Turkey, has yielded significant results.

Greek police data indicates that 339,985 Turkish visitors travelled to Greek islands in 2024, with 71,648 utilizing the "visa-on-arrival" option. Lesbos received the most visitors under this scheme (28,734), followed by Chios (26,337) and Samos (16,577). Greek tourism professionals are advocating for the program's extension beyond its current expiration date of March 31, 2025, suggesting it become permanent and predicting further growth in 2025.

Greek media has highlighted strong demand during Ramadan Bayram (late March) and noted continued travel from Türkiye even during the off-season in January.

Land crossings from Turkey to Greece also substantially increased in 2024. Data from the Greek Tourism Confederation reveal a 29.5% rise in the first 11 months of 2024 compared to 2023, totalling 1,092,530 travellers.

Regarding overall tourism, Greece's revenue reached approximately €22 billion in 2024, approaching its record-breaking 2023 figures of 35 million tourists. Turkey initially targeted 60 million visitors and $60 billion (€58.3 billion) in revenue for 2024, later revising the visitor target to 61 million in December. Per capita tourism income was $1,000 (€972) in Türkiye and €630 in Greece.

Express Visa Program for Turkish Visitors to Greek Islands