Turkish tourists flock to Greek islands during Eid

ISTANBUL

Thousands of Turkish tourists have flocked to the Greek islands for the Eid al-Adha holiday, causing severe bottlenecks and hours of waiting at border checkpoints.

With the four-day official holiday falling during the week, many commuters capitalized on the opportunity to bridge it with the weekends, precipitating a massive exodus to holiday destinations.

A significant portion of these travelers set their sights on the Greek islands, which have recently seen an influx of Turkish visitors thanks to the visa-on-arrival scheme.

Customs checkpoints on the islands of Lesbos, Kos, Leros and Rhodes bore the brunt of the surge, with waiting times stretching up to two hours.

Tourists noted that passport control procedures, which previously took a mere 30 minutes on average, have spiked to nearly two hours due to the European Union’s newly implemented biometric border control system.

Passengers warned that congestion could escalate as the peak summer season progresses, projecting that wait times could deteriorate to three hours if proactive measures are not taken.

According to official data, 1,000 passengers crossed from Türkiye’s Ayvalık to the Greek island of Lesbos on the eve of the holiday. By the first day of Eid, that figure climbed to 1,500.

Local transport operators confirmed that ferry services will run continuously throughout the holiday period to accommodate the demand.

This unprecedented surge follows Greece’s decision in March to extend its simplified visa-on-arrival program for Turkish citizens for a second time.

The scheme, initially rolled out in April 2024 under a bilateral agreement signed in December 2023, grants streamlined access to 12 popular Greek islands.

The visa initiative has played a pivotal role in accelerating Turkish tourism to Greece, with official figures indicating that visitor numbers have now surpassed 1.5 million. Sector representatives report that the volume of Turkish travelers visiting Greece’s Aegean islands has increased nearly fivefold in recent years.