The promotion of the Regions of Central Greece, Western Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia & Thrace and Alexandroupolis to the Turkish tourist market dominated a conference held on October 2, 2024 at the headquarters of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (Türsab) in Istanbul.
During the conference, the representatives of the Greek Regions had the opportunity to present in detail the enriched tourism product of their region and at the same time to hold B2B meetings with executives of the Turkish market.
Welcoming the event, Türsab spokesman, Yıldırım Taş, stated that Greece is “one of the first destinations that come to mind for Turkish citizens when it comes to traveling abroad,” adding that “tourism is undoubtedly one of the important sectors of activity which strengthens the friendship of the two countries.” He also referred to the productive visit of the Minister of Tourism, Olga Kefalogianni, to Istanbul, last January.
On his part, the Consul General of Greece in Istanbul, Ambassador Konstantinos Koutras noted that the presence of representatives of the Regions of Greece and the cooperation with their Turkish counterparts constitutes a further opportunity to enhance relations between the two countries in the field of tourism. He also stressed the importance and widespread approval of the decision to grant a seven-day entry visa to Turkish citizens. The measure applies to 10 Greek islands.
The head of the Greek National Tourist Organisation (GNTO) in Turkey, Dimitra Bambali, said that the aim of the event was for Turkish citizens to get to know to more Greek regions and visit them, stressing that “if culture unites, tourism breaks down prejudices and barriers.”
