Number of Turkish Tourists Visiting Greek Islands Triples
Number of Turkish Tourists Visiting Greek Islands Triples
When the visa-on-arrival program was successfully implemented for 10 Greek islands for Turkish tourists, other Greek islands also demand the same privilege to be granted to them.
Haber Giriş Tarihi: 22.04.2024 12:42
Haber Güncellenme Tarihi: 22.04.2024 12:42
Kaynak:
Euronews
After Greece implemented visa-on-arrival for Turkish tourists for certain Greek islands, the number of tourists visiting these islands tripled in the first 10 days of this month compared to the same period last year.
Following the success of the visa-on-arrival program for 10 Greek islands for Turkish tourists, other Greek islands are now demanding the same privilege and are pressuring the government for it.
According to official data shared by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the number of tourists visiting the islands in the first 10 days of this month was compared to the same period last year.
For instance, while last year in the first 10 days of April, 390 tourists visited Lesbos, this number has already increased to 3,800 for the same period this year.
Apart from that, the number of tourists visiting Chios increased from 2,716 to 4,993, Samos from 299 to 2,851, Kos from 2,400 to 3,300, and Rhodes from 2,320 to 5,726.
In total, the number of tourists visiting these five islands increased from 5,969 in 2023 to 20,690 already this year.
The visa-on-arrival program for Turkish tourists was initially launched for these five islands.
After April 30, Turkish tourists will also be able to get visas on arrival for Patmos, Symi, Kastellorizo, Leros, and Kalymnos islands.
Greek media commented that the increase in visitor numbers since the first weekend of April has boosted the islands' shopping traffic and revitalized the local economy.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed in an interview with ANT1 television channel that the visa-on-arrival program for Turkish visitors is proceeding successfully.
Turkish tourists leave twice as much money
The Regional Governor responsible for the islands, Kostas Moutzouris, expressed his satisfaction with the visa-on-arrival program, stating, "The islands are overflowing with tourists. Each visitor from Turkey contributes approximately twice as much to the local economy compared to visitors arriving on charter flights."
Kairidis noted that there is pressure to expand the visa-on-arrival program to other islands, stating that Patmos, Thasos, and Samothrace also want to benefit from this program.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whom President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with in Athens at the end of last year, had announced that Turkish tourists would be granted visa-on-arrival for a week on Greek islands.
Tourism holds vital importance for the Greek economy. According to data from the Central Bank, Greece hosted 32.7 million foreign tourists last year, generating revenue of 20.5 billion euros.
The initiative by Greece was later approved by the European Commission.
What is required for a visa-on-arrival?
To obtain a visa-on-arrival for Greek islands, one must pay 60 euros.
Requirements for obtaining a visa-on-arrival include a passport valid for at least 6 months, 2 biometric photos, a 3-month bank statement showing sufficient funds to cover travel expenses, hotel reservation, ferry ticket, travel health insurance, photocopy of identification, and a completed application form with no visa stamps from the TRNC in the passport.
Turkish visitors must submit the required documents along with the application form to Greek authorities.
The necessary documents are submitted to the competent authorities at the entry points of the islands, but it is recommended to submit the documents to travel agencies arranging ferry services between the islands and Turkey before the visit to avoid delays at the entry points.
A visa valid for 1 to 7 days will be issued by Greek authorities for each island visit.
Express visas for the islands will be valid only for those islands and cannot be used for travel to other regions of Greece."
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Number of Turkish Tourists Visiting Greek Islands Triples
When the visa-on-arrival program was successfully implemented for 10 Greek islands for Turkish tourists, other Greek islands also demand the same privilege to be granted to them.
After Greece implemented visa-on-arrival for Turkish tourists for certain Greek islands, the number of tourists visiting these islands tripled in the first 10 days of this month compared to the same period last year.
Following the success of the visa-on-arrival program for 10 Greek islands for Turkish tourists, other Greek islands are now demanding the same privilege and are pressuring the government for it.
According to official data shared by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the number of tourists visiting the islands in the first 10 days of this month was compared to the same period last year.
For instance, while last year in the first 10 days of April, 390 tourists visited Lesbos, this number has already increased to 3,800 for the same period this year.
Apart from that, the number of tourists visiting Chios increased from 2,716 to 4,993, Samos from 299 to 2,851, Kos from 2,400 to 3,300, and Rhodes from 2,320 to 5,726.
In total, the number of tourists visiting these five islands increased from 5,969 in 2023 to 20,690 already this year.
The visa-on-arrival program for Turkish tourists was initially launched for these five islands.
After April 30, Turkish tourists will also be able to get visas on arrival for Patmos, Symi, Kastellorizo, Leros, and Kalymnos islands.
Greek media commented that the increase in visitor numbers since the first weekend of April has boosted the islands' shopping traffic and revitalized the local economy.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed in an interview with ANT1 television channel that the visa-on-arrival program for Turkish visitors is proceeding successfully.
Turkish tourists leave twice as much money
The Regional Governor responsible for the islands, Kostas Moutzouris, expressed his satisfaction with the visa-on-arrival program, stating, "The islands are overflowing with tourists. Each visitor from Turkey contributes approximately twice as much to the local economy compared to visitors arriving on charter flights."
Kairidis noted that there is pressure to expand the visa-on-arrival program to other islands, stating that Patmos, Thasos, and Samothrace also want to benefit from this program.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whom President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with in Athens at the end of last year, had announced that Turkish tourists would be granted visa-on-arrival for a week on Greek islands.
Tourism holds vital importance for the Greek economy. According to data from the Central Bank, Greece hosted 32.7 million foreign tourists last year, generating revenue of 20.5 billion euros.
The initiative by Greece was later approved by the European Commission.
What is required for a visa-on-arrival?
To obtain a visa-on-arrival for Greek islands, one must pay 60 euros.
Requirements for obtaining a visa-on-arrival include a passport valid for at least 6 months, 2 biometric photos, a 3-month bank statement showing sufficient funds to cover travel expenses, hotel reservation, ferry ticket, travel health insurance, photocopy of identification, and a completed application form with no visa stamps from the TRNC in the passport.
Turkish visitors must submit the required documents along with the application form to Greek authorities.
The necessary documents are submitted to the competent authorities at the entry points of the islands, but it is recommended to submit the documents to travel agencies arranging ferry services between the islands and Turkey before the visit to avoid delays at the entry points.
A visa valid for 1 to 7 days will be issued by Greek authorities for each island visit.
Express visas for the islands will be valid only for those islands and cannot be used for travel to other regions of Greece."
Kaynak: Euronews
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