Turkey and Greece ink protocol to strengthen tourism cooperation

The agreement was reached at the 6th Joint Tourism Committee Meeting, which was held in Ankara under the co-chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan and Greece’s Deputy Minister of Tourism Anna Karamanli, according to a statement by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In his speech at the meeting, Alpaslan stated that expanding the scope of the visa-on-arrival system would bring significant benefits to both countries.

A special visa system that allows Turkish citizens to visit certain Greek islands was seen as a notable initiative, which garnered the interest of dozens of thousands of Turks since its launch.

Emphasizing the need to diversify tourism products, Alpaslan proposed cooperation in areas such as rural tourism and maritime tourism.

"Collaborating in areas that highlight our geographical advantages, such as experiences intertwined with rural life like agrotourism, and maritime tourism, will contribute to local economies and meet the demand for alternative tourism," he said.

He also noted that strengthening transport networks to increase tourism activity between the two countries would boost the mutual flow of tourists. He added that opening new routes and increasing existing trips would enhance travel comfort for tourists and strengthen economic and cultural ties.

Alpaslan also expressed the importance of establishing private sector cooperation for promotion and marketing activities and stated that joint certification systems should be developed to raise quality standards. He also noted that joint routes to be established between the two countries would attract tourists interested in long-term travel.

According to the May 2025 World Tourism Barometer from U.N. Tourism, over 300 million tourists traveled internationally in the first three months of 2025, about 14 million more than in the same months of 2024. In Southern Mediterranean Europe, Turkey (plus 7%) posted solid results in the first quarter considering reciepts, as did Greece, Italy and Portugal (all plus 4%), according to the report.