Lesvos Experiences Surge in Turkish Tourists with Visa Express Implementation

Lesvos is experiencing a surge in Turkish tourists following the implementation of the visa express procedure. Around 6,000 visitors are expected to arrive by April 14th, with approximately 1,700 already arriving today alone on five ships from the port of Ayvalık. The majority of these visitors are from Istanbul and Izmir, with some coming from other major Turkish coastal cities.

This increase in arrivals coincides with the celebration of Seker Bayram, a Muslim festival observed from April 6th to April 14th. Nearly 1,000 visitors are expected to utilize the visa express during this period.

Tourism stakeholders on Lesvos are pleased with the swift handling of the visa issuance process and the significant boost in tourism from Turkey.

Following Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ announcement after his recent meeting with Tayyip Erdogan, the pilot procedure for issuing seven-day visas for Turkish citizens visiting 10 islands of the eastern Aegean was launched. These islands include Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodes, Symi, Kastelorizo, Lemnos, Kalymnos, and Leros.

It is projected that over 100,000 Turkish citizens will visit Lesvos this year, marking a 20% increase compared to last year’s numbers.