Turkey’s tourism industry is taking a hit with numerous hotels standing vacant as holidaymakers flock to Greece in droves. As of April 1, 2024, Turkey rolled out new changes that enables its citizens to journey directly to ten Greek islands within seven days for a single-entry express visa.
This policy shift has reportedly led to a spike in Turkish tourists visiting Greece, while it is claimed many Turkish resort rooms have “remained empty”, VisaGuide.World reports. In the initial ten-day period of April, popular islands including Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, and Rhodes were collectively visited by as many as 20,690 Turkish tourists.
Alarm bells are ringing within the Turkish tourism sector over this worrying trend, with calls being made to rescind the express visas, reports the Express. The slide in tourist numbers has compelled resorts in Turkey, Borum for instance, to slash prices by up to 50 percent for the latter half of July and the first couple weeks of August in an effort to lure visitors.
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Hoteliers’ desperation has been captured by the Chairman of the TURSAB Regional Representation Board, Demir who said: “Since fixed costs, such as electricity, personnel and hotel rents, are fixed, while other food, beverage and cleaning costs are variable, our hotelier colleagues made their calculations and made discounts so that at least the rooms would not remain empty, they could pay the staff and not lay them off.”
Roughly 33 million holidaymakers flocked to Greece in 2023, which is an increase of about five million from the previous year, said the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). This statistic places Greece as the 10th most visited country globally.
Athens can claim more than seven million of these visitors, and industry forecasters expect this number will shoot up by 20% in the coming year. While a welcome boost for the economy of Greece, this jump in tourism has also incited a critical housing crisis in Athens, whilst also adding pressure on local resources. Moreover, shop shutters throughout Athens are becoming canvases for anti-tourism sentiments, with graffiti that states: “No more tourism.”
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