Hakkı Karadeveci, Chairman of the İzmir Regional Representative Council (BTK) of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), noted that the number of Turkish visitors to Greek islands has increased approximately fivefold in the past few years as the on-arrival visa process has become more widespread, stating, “We expect this increase to continue.”

Greece has decided to extend its visa-on-arrival program—valid for Turkish citizens on a total of 12 islands, including Rhodes, Kos, Chios, Lesbos, Samos, Kastellorizo, Leros, Limnos, Symi, Kalymnos, Patmos, and Semadirek—for another year. Hakkı Karadeveci, Chairman of the İzmir Branch of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB), stated that everyone welcomed the extension of the program, saying, “Considering the difficulties faced in obtaining Schengen visa appointments, the Greek islands—which are easily accessible from coastal holiday regions—are becoming an attractive alternative for Turkish guests. The visa-on-arrival program further facilitates this access.”

Highlighting that the most significant advantage of the visa-on-arrival system for vacationers is flexibility, Karadeveci added, “Delays in overseas visa processes this year have negatively impacted many of our guests. The visa-on-arrival system, however, allows for vacation planning up to 10 days before the trip. For guests who cannot make advance reservations due to a busy work schedule, this is truly a valuable option. On the other hand, I would like to specifically emphasize that the visa-on-arrival is not a Schengen visa. The documents must be submitted to the relevant port and approved between 3 weeks and 10 days in advance, and the visa is stamped in the passport after the ship docks.