Turkey is seeing a severe drop in tourism (Image: Getty)
are reported to have tourism, with over 100,000 holidaymakers instead opting to travel to .
On April 1, 2024, and under this scheme, Turkish citizens are entitled to visit 10 Greek islands with an express visa for up to seven days.
Hailed as a major success by both Greek and Turkish officials, the scheme allows Turkish nationals to visit a series of Greek islands for a £50 entrance fee.
Since this was implemented, over 100,000 Turkish tourists have crossed the , sparking a boom in regional .
In the first couple of months alone the initiative saw nearly 400,000 Turkish visitors, according to Greek magazine Oikonomikos Tachydromos.
100,000 Turkish tourists instead opted to travel to Greece (Image: Getty)
During the first 10 days of April, the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and combined welcomed 20,690 Turkish tourists, many of whom in previous years when it was trickier to secure visas are likely to have holidayed in their home country.
“This program has not only boosted tourism but has also created a pathway for greater cooperation between Greece and Türkiye”, said Greek Minister of Shipping Christos Stylianidis.
Stylianidis also pointed to the enhanced ferry connections between the two countries which is contributing to economic growth in coastal regions on both sides.
As a result Stylianidis plans to extend the programme throughout 2025.
However, the initiative has come with its downfalls as many Turkish resorts are said to have “remained empty”, according to
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Tourism representatives in Turkey expressed concern about this situation, with some demanding the cancellation of express visas.
The drop in tourism in Turkey forced some hotels in resorts, such as Bodrum, to reduce prices by up to 50%.
Earlier this year, told the has played a massive impact in the tourism drop.
A spokesperson for Visit Turkey said: “Tourism levels have seen a compared to the same period last year.
“The drop is not uniform across the country, with some regions experiencing sharper declines than others, depending on their reliance on international versus domestic tourists.”