Over 5,000 Turkish tourists vacationing briefly on Lesvos, Chios during Seker Bayram holiday

Nearly 2,000 Turkish tourists who chose to come to Mytilini to celebrate the end of Ramadan (Seker Bayram) are marking the official opening of the tourist period this year on Lesvos island.

Nearly 1,000 visitors arrived on the island from Ayvalik on the Turkish coast on Saturday, while as many are expected on Sunday. They will be able to holiday on the Greek island for a week, as the Turkish government made an allowance for the three-day religious holiday to extend to April 6.

Speaking to Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), tourism agent and president of the tourism department at the Lesvos Chamber of Commerce Aris Lazaris said, “Today is the first day of arrival of Turkish visitors to Mytilini, a very useful financial boost for the Lesbian market.” The visits have been feasible because of an extension of the existing program of short-term visas for Greek islands of the Eastern Aegean (visa express). The extension for this holiday was granted by the European Commission following a proposal by the Greek government.

Lazaris noted that the economic crisis in nearby Turkiye along with the political crisis do not allow for long stays abroad by residents of the Turkish coast and Istanbul, affecting travel to the island as well.

Meanwhile, regular tourist season boat schedules have started between the two countries: from Petra in northern Lesvos (4 schedules from Ayvalik), Dikili (across from Mytilini), and Ali Agha (near Izmir). All sites have daily crossings in June, while a weekly boat will connect Izmir directly with Mytilini in the same month.

President of the Tourist and Tourism Agencies Association of Lesvos, Panagiotis Chatzikyriakos, said that last year’s (2024) arrivals “surpassed every previous record, with 122,000 visitors.”

Similar to Lesvos, at least 3,500 visitors are expected to arrive on Chios this weekend to Tuesday, according to hospitality officials on the island.

Source: pagenews.gr