Greek Islands to Welcome 50,000 Turkish Visitors During Eid Through New Visa Scheme

As a top destination for Turkish citizens during the upcoming nine-day Eid al-Adha holiday, the Greek islands are expected to welcome around 50,000 Turkish visitors this year.

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Eid al-Adhawill will be held from June 16-19, but considering the high demand, the tourism sector said that the government is expected to extend such a holiday, Schengen.News reports.

Thanks to the fast-track visa that Greece offered to Türkiye in March 2024, Antalya is now expected to be their primary destination. During April, when the Eid al-Fitr holiday took place, about 20,000 Turkish nationals visited the Greek islands of the Aegean.

Greece Plans to Accommodate up to 5 Million Vacationers During Eid Al-Fitr

The Turkish authorities emphasize that about 35 million people are expected to be on the move during the Eid al-Fitr holiday within Türkiye, while the accommodation facilities are predicted to host about five million vacationers.

The holiday of Eid al-Adha tends to be the most expensive for vacationers. Thus, a three-day stay for a family of three in Bodrum costs at least 40,000 Turkish lira or $1,200, not including transportation costs. But a similar holiday in Rhodes over the same period costs £32,000, including accommodation and travel costs.

Last month, Greece expanded its visa-on-arrival program for Turkish citizens to five more Aegean islands. Turkish holidaymakers can now travel to a total of ten Greek islands under the visa-on-arrival scheme.

The Aegean Islands that recently joined the list of the express visa scheme are as follows:

• Leros
• Lemnos
• Kalymnos
• Kastellorizo
• Symi

Since April 2024, Turkish Citizens Can Visit 10 Greek Islands With a Visa-On-Arrival

On April 1 2024, the Greek authorities first introduced a special visa scheme, allowing Turkish citizens to visit the islands of Chios, Kos, Lesvos, Rhodes and Samos with a visa on arrival. The visas were valid for up to seven days for €60, one entry.

Following the entry into force of the visa scheme mentioned above, Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Rhodes have experienced an increase in Turkish tourists.

As a result, the five Greek islands welcomed 20,690 Turkish citizens during the first ten days of April 2024, a significant increase from 5,969 in 2023.

Meanwhile, just for one day during the Eid holiday in Lesvos, over 1700 tourists from Türkiye were registered. Most of the tourists came from Istanbul, Izmir and other Turkish cities.

In addition, nearly 6,000 Turkish vacationers travelled to Rhodes during the Eid, up from 2,320 a year earlier. Samos and Kos welcomed 2,851 and 3,300 Turkish tourists, respectively.