Turkish Tourists Flock to Greece as Rising Costs Deter Greek Visitors

In the four years preceding 2026, the number of Turkish citizens travelling to Greece more than tripled, reaching over 1.5 million last year according to Turkish authorities, while official ELSTAT data report a slightly lower figure. By contrast, Greek visits to Turkey have remained steady at just above 500,000 per year. Turkish travellers cite lower prices for food, drinks and accommodation as the primary driver of the shift.

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The Greek Consulate in Istanbul now processes roughly 1,300 visas daily, most of them multi-entry permits for repeat trips. In addition, the “Visa Express” scheme—approved by the European Commission and launched after a Greece–Turkey High-Level Cooperation Council meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—provides on-spot seven-day visas at twelve eastern Aegean ports (Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Lesbos, Leros, Limnos, Rhodes, Samos, Symi, Chios, Patmos and Samothrace). The programme, promoted as “people-to-people diplomacy,” has boosted arrivals on islands such as Kos, Rhodes and Chios.

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Bank of Greece data show that Turkish visitors spent an average of €303 per trip in 2025, while each Greek visitor to Turkey spent €340, a rise of about €50 per year over the previous three years. Turkish respondents report that meals, drinks and overnight stays are markedly cheaper in Greek tavernas than in comparable Istanbul establishments.

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The Hellenic Statistical Authority records a rapid expansion of Turkish imports into Greece: €1.34 billion in 2020, >€2 billion in 2021, €3 billion in 2024, and an estimated €3.34 billion in 2025. Greek exports to Turkey have declined from a peak of €3 billion in 2022 to an estimated €1.37 billion in 2025, reversing a three-year downward trend.

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Greek authorities describe the Visa Express initiative as a tool to strengthen bilateral people-to-people ties and to support regional tourism economies. Turkish officials acknowledge a sharp rise in the domestic cost of living, which they say reduces the purchasing power of Greek visitors.

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Greek shop owners in Istanbul, such as jewellery stall-keeper Kantar Pehlivanoglu, note a decline in Greek customers, attributing it to “their financial situation compared with the past.” Similarly, Turkish merchants report that Greek tourists now “look around, experience the city… but cannot buy because things have become expensive.”

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Estimates of Turkish arrivals to Greece exceed official ELSTAT counts, creating uncertainty about the exact scale of the flow. The reported 25,000 Turkish residents holding Greek residence permits or golden-visa status are not included in the visitor statistics, nor are short-term visits from the Turkish Aegean coast under the fast-track visa arrangement.

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• “Until about 10 years ago people were coming from Greece to Turkey to shop, mainly in Istanbul, Edirne and Kesan. Now, however, we see many more visitors from Turkey going to Greece because whatever they want to buy is cheaper there” — Maria Dimou, Istanbul resident

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• “A great many Turks either go on day trips to the Edirne region and from there cross over into Orestiada, or gradually make their way into Greece as tourists, because the cost of tourism in Greece is far lower than in Turkey and, as a result, from Ayvalik and other areas they now cross over by the thousands, especially in summer, to the Greek islands” — Symeon Soltaridis, president of the Greek Community of Balino

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• “Last month I went on holiday to Greece. I drove as far as Kavala and Thessaloniki and, to be honest, I really liked Greece. The food was delicious, the portions were generous and everything was cheap,” — Doruk, Ankara-based computer engineer

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• “In the past I had more Greek customers, whereas now it is harder for them even to come to Turkey, let alone shop here, and the reason is their financial situation compared with the past,” — Kantar Pehlivanoglu, Istanbul street-stall owner

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The Visa Express programme remains active, and its continuation is

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