Greece opens another five Aegean Islands to Turkish visitors fast-track visas

Turks wanting quick visas to visit Greek islands – which had been limited to five – now will have 10 to choose from at the same time their country is promoting its coast to tourists as the Turkaegean, reaching foreign travelers, including Greeks.

Symi, Kastelorizo, Icaria, Kalymnos, and Limnos were added to Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios, and Lesbos for the program, with indications that more could be coming, said Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News, as Greece is trying to lure as many tourists as possible,  https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greece-adds-5-more-islands-to-fast-track-visa-program-for-turkish-tourists-193013

Despite the announcement, initial demand for the new visas remained low due to short notice and limited ferry services. Some islands, like Simi and Limnos, lack established ferry routes from the Turkish coast, service is expected to begin in June, the paper said.

Simi Mayor Lefteris Papakalodukas said he had some reservations, especially about the short duration of the visa. “The seven-day visa is a positive step, but it’s not enough,” he said. “Cultural and tourism exchanges foster good neighborly relations. Just as we can visit Turkey with our IDs, Turks should be able to do the same in Greece.” Greece is a member of the European Union that Turkey has been trying to join since 2005.

“Many Turks visit Simi by boat 10-15 times a year,” Papakalodukas said. “The visa should be valid for a year, or at least the entire summer season,” instead of cutting the visits short, especially with Turkey’s coast almost in sight of some of the islands.

About 20,000 Turks traveled to five Greek islands in the Aegean Sea during the nine-day Eid al-Fitr break from April 6-14, after Greece launched the visa-on-arrival scheme for Turkish holidaymakers, the paper noted.

Read more at thenationalherald.com

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