The Greek Embassy in Türkiye announced that beginning of April 30, Turkish nationals can visit an extra five Greek Islands with a visa upon arrival.

Leros, Lemnos, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, and Symi are the Aegean islands that have recently been included to the expedited visa program.

Before this extension, on April 1, 2024, Turkish people may visit the islands of Chios, Kos, Lesvos, Rhodes, and Samos with a visa upon arrival thanks to a special visa program implemented by Greek authorities.

These can be obtained for €60 and provide single-entry rights for stays of up to seven days. Authorities have previously announced that, at the designated port, visas on arrival will be issued year-round.

Furthermore, officials have issued a warning that Turkish visitors are not permitted to use these visas to enter other Schengen nations.

The agreement between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece was reached in December 2023, giving rise to this special visa scheme.

Turkish Tourist Arrivals in Greek Islands Rise Threefold Since the implementation of the New Policy on April 1, the number of Turkish tourists visiting Levos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Rhodes has significantly increased.

As reported by the daily eKathimerini, during the first 10 days of April, these five Greek islands received 20,690 Turkish nationals, a significant rise over the 5,969 who arrived during the same period in 2023.

Compared to the previous year, there was an increase in the number of tourists visiting each of these islands:

Lesvos (between 3,800 and 390).

From 2,716 to 4,993, Chios

Samos (between 2,99 and 2,851)

Kos (between 2,400 and 3,300).

Rhodes, between 2,320 and 5,726

According to reports, the increase in Turkish visitors has stimulated shopping, which has benefited the local economy and fostered better links between the two populations.

Travel agencies in Turkey are concerned about the decline in domestic tourism.

According to Mustafa Demir, the Chairman of the TÜRSAB Regional Representation Board, Turkey is seeing a decrease in domestic tourist arrivals, whilst the Greek Islands are seeing an increase in Turkish tourists.

Tursim Ajansi said recently that Demir emphasized that problems and increased expenses in Bodrum are the reasons why Turkish travelers are now choosing Greek islands.

He made several recommendations, among them the need for pricing caps and marketing campaigns in Bodrum.