Turks travel to Greece three times more often: prices have changed routes

Turkish tourists began to travel three times more often Greecewhile the Greeks’ trips to Turkey don’t look anymore the same profitable shopping.

Greece And Türkiye are experiencing a noticeable turnaround in tourism and trade relations. If previously Greeks traveled en masse to Istanbul, Edirne and Kesan for shopping, now the opposite is increasingly happening: Turkish citizens go to Greece for vacation, food and more affordable prices.

According to euronewsover the past five years, tourism and trade between the two countries has approximately doubled. But the growth has been uneven: the flow of Turkish tourists to Greece has increased sharply, while the number of Greeks visiting Turkey remains almost stable.

The reason is simple and quite unpleasant for the Turkish economy: Greece It has become cheaper for many residents of Turkey. Especially if we are not talking about the most basic goods, but about food, drinks, recreation, restaurants and quality shopping. Well, here we are: the country where people used to go “for cheap things” has itself become an expensive showcase.

Resident of Istanbul Maria Dimu explains this reversal as follows: ten years ago, Greeks went to Turkey to shop, and now Turks are increasingly going to Greece, because the goods they need are cheaper there. According to her, Turkish tourists go to Thraceespecially in Alexandroupolisget to Kavalaand in the summer they actively visit the Greek islands.

Tourism between Greece and Turkey

The number of Greeks visiting Turkey annually remains at just over 500 thousand people. But the flow of Turkish citizens to Greece is estimated to have approximately tripled in four years: from half a million to more than 1.5 million people.

The Consulate General of Greece in Istanbul, according to diplomatic sources, issues up to 1,300 visasallowing multiple entries into the country. These are no longer occasional weekend trips, but a steady flow of people who want to be able to travel to Greece regularly.

Visa Express: Islands get Turkish boost

The program played a special role Visa Express for Turkish citizens. It allows you to obtain a short-term visa directly at the ports of entry on a number of Greek islands. Formally, this is an element of the so-called public diplomacybut in practice it is also a powerful tourism tool.

The program covers 12 islands: Kalymnos, Kastelorizo, Kos, Lesbos, Leros, Lemnos, Rhodes, Samos, Symi, Chios, Patmos and Samothrace. The visa is valid for up to seven days and is issued for a specific island: you cannot travel further within Greece using it.

Last year the most popular destination was Kos – primarily due to its proximity to Bodrum. Strong positions remain Rhodes And Chiosespecially among wealthier travelers. The top five popular destinations also include Lesvos And Samos.

The program peaked in August 2025, when almost 281 thousand arrivals. There were them in July 233 thousandand in September – 188 thousand. That is, we are no longer talking about the curiosity of the first tourists, but about a full-fledged summer flow.

Greeks can no longer afford Istanbul

On the Turkish side they are increasingly complaining that Greek tourists are no longer spending as much as before. Sellers in Istanbul admit: Greeks come, walk, meet friends, see the city, but buy less. The reason is simple: prices have risen.

Simeon Soltaridis, an Istanbul resident and chairman of the Balinu Greek Community, says that the Greek tourist can no longer cope with the high prices in Turkey, especially in Istanbul. Previously, the Greeks came and bought things en masse, but now the trip is increasingly turning into a walk without serious shopping.

According to official data, the average Greek tourist in Turkey spends around 340 euros for the trip. Moreover, over the past three years, this amount has grown annually by approximately 50 euros. But rising costs no longer mean the same benefits: life in Turkey has become so expensive that the usual image of “cheap Istanbul” for Greeks has noticeably faded.

At the same time, according to Bank of Greecethe average expenditure of a Turkish tourist in Greece is 303 euros for the trip. For Turks, a trip to Greece increasingly looks like a good deal: you can eat in a tavern, drink ouzo, spend the night and return cheaper than spending the same evening in Istanbul. The irony, of course, is worthy of a separate restaurant bill.

The trade balance also turned around

At the same time, the trade balance also changed. According to Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή (ElstatGreek Statistical Service), imports from Turkey to Greece continue to increase, while Greek exports to Turkey have been declining in recent years.

In 2020, imports from Turkey to Greece were 1.34 billion euros. In 2021 it exceeded 2 billion eurosin 2024 – 3 billion eurosand in 2025 it was estimated at €3.34 billion.

Greek exports to Turkey, on the contrary, declined: in 2025 they amounted to about 1.37 billion euros. At the same time, in 2022, Greece still supplied approximately 3 billion euros – This was the last year when Greek exports to Turkey exceeded imports.

As a result, the tourist and trade picture between the neighbors has changed almost in a mirror manner. Türkiye remains a major supplier of goods to Greece, but as a tourist destination for Greeks it no longer looks like the same cheap alternative. Greece, on the contrary, is becoming more and more attractive for Turkish citizens – both for relaxation, and for shopping, and for short trips to the islands.

The main takeaway is simple: Prices sometimes change geography more than diplomacy. Politicians can talk for years about the rapprochement of peoples, but the real flow of people is not a press release, but a tavern bill, the cost of food and the opportunity to spend a weekend cheaper on the other side of the sea.

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