Record number of Turkish tourists visit northeastern Aegean islands
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
The pilot visa-on-arrival program at the ports of the northeastern Aegean islands brought an additional 54,373 Turkish tourists to the region.
The pilot visa program allows Turkish citizens and their families to receive limited territorial visas upon arrival at the island ports, granting them up to seven days of stay, depending on the purpose and conditions of their visit.
Out of these, 21,987 visas were issued at the entry points in Lesvos, 19,623 in Chios, and 12,763 in Samos.
The success of the program, initiated following a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the approval of the European Commission, significantly contributed to the rise in Turkish visitors to the islands, AMNA reported.
From the program’s implementation until August 31, a total of 372,495 tourists from Turkey visited the islands, 254,213 of whom were Turkish nationals, according to a statement by the North Aegean Police Department.
Among the Turkish visitors, 92,018 visited Lesvos, 89,456 visited Chios, and 72,739 visited Samos.
The number of 254,213 Turkish tourists marks a record in the history of tourism in the northern Aegean (with 54,373 arriving through visa-on-arrival at the ports).
It’s also noteworthy that a large number of European citizens (approximately 80,000) visited the islands via Turkey, many of whom are of Turkish origin and have acquired citizenship in the European countries where they reside.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
