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Travel between Türkiye and Greece has surged over the past four years, with the number of Turkish visitors to Greece jumping from around 500,000 annually to more than 1.5 million last year. The Greek consulate in Istanbul now hands out around 1,300 visas a day, according to a report.
Most of these multi-entry visas are secured by Turkish citizens planning frequent holiday and shopping trips. However, these figures exclude nearly 25,000 Turks who have already obtained—or are currently seeking—Greek residence permits through employment opportunities and golden visa programs, Euronews reported.
Turkish travelers remain a major source of tourism revenue for islands in the Eastern Aegean, though demand is increasingly spilling over into mainland destinations such as Athens and Thessaloniki. Tourism income generated by Turkish visitors topped €500 million ($581 million) last year, according to official estimates cited in the report.
Much of the surge was fueled by the express visa scheme covering 10 Aegean islands throughout 2025. Around 1.1 million travelers used the system or existing permits to visit destinations including Rhodes, Kos and Chios.
The busiest ferry traffic ran between Cesme and Chios, and between Bodrum and Kos, while islands such as Lesvos and Samos also saw strong growth thanks to their proximity to Ayvalik and Kusadasi. Smaller islands including Limnos, Kalymnos, Leros, Symi and Kastellorizo posted annual increases in Turkish arrivals exceeding 40%.
According to official data, Turkish travel to Greece hit a historic high in 2025, reaching 2.3 million visitors, as Greece ranked among the top destinations for the 11.9 million Turkish citizens who traveled abroad last year.
The trend appeared to carry into 2026, with Turkish citizens stepping up overseas travel in the first quarter as outbound trips climbed 13.1% year-over-year to 2.9 million, according to official figures. Total spending, however, fell 9.1% to $2.2 billion.
Average spending per trip dropped nearly 20% to $758 despite the increase in traveler numbers. Personal expenses accounted for $1.7 billion of total outbound spending, while package tours made up $493.9 million.
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