Greece resumes ferry service with Turkey

Ferry service to the Greek islands, which was interrupted in 2020 due to the outbreak of the pandemic and was not carried out for almost two years, is being resumed by Turkey.

According to local media, this was announced by Yusuf Ozturk, chairman of the board of directors of the Izmir branch of the Turkish Maritime Chamber of Commerce. The restriction was officially lifted on February 7.

During the 9th Turkey-Greece Tourism Forum and the 4th Joint Tourism Meeting held last November in Izmir, with the participation of Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy and Greek Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias, Turkey’s biggest request was for the resumption of ferry service, thanks to which about 1 million passengers move between countries a year.

According to the authorized person, “Our ferrymen have been in a very difficult situation during these two years. Finally, we got the result we were waiting for. In particular, small merchants from the Greek islands are looking forward to tourists from Turkey. Both countries will benefit from the restored maritime While cruise tourism is also picking up in the Mediterranean, the decision to resume ferry service, commercial and private yachting will revive maritime tourism in the 2022 season.”

Travelers entering the Greek Islands from Turkey will be required to provide a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior to departure or a rapid test result taken 24 hours prior to arrival. These requirements will apply regardless of the traveler’s nationality and vaccination status. Recall that Greece recognizes vaccination with Sputnik V.

Foreign tourists, including those from Russia, can get to a number of Greek islands by issuing a short-term island visa. In particular, in this way it is possible to visit the islands of Chios, Lesvos, Kos, Rhodes, Samos, Kastellorizon and Symi.

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