1.15M Turkish tourists travel to Greek islands in record surge
A young woman gazes at the landscape of Oia, Santorini, Greece, from behind.
In a record-breaking trend, more than 1.15 million Turkish tourists traveled to the Greek islands by sea in 2024, marking a staggering 93% increase compared to the previous year.
According to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, a total of 8,629 ferry trips carried Turkish travelers from Türkiye’s Aegean coast to Greece, highlighting a major boost in cross-border tourism.
Greek islands see unprecedented visitor growth
Official data reveals that in 2023, 804,776 Turkish tourists visited the Greek islands, while in 2022, this number stood at 416,085.
The rise in ferry travel has been attributed to the introduction of the Greek visa-on-arrival program, which allows Turkish tourists to stay on select islands for up to seven days.
August sees peak travel demand
The surge in tourism was most evident during the summer months, with August recording the highest number of visitors.
A total of 296,980 Turkish tourists crossed to the Greek islands in August alone, followed by 236,066 in July and 208,023 in September.
Kos tops list of preferred destinations
Kos (Istankoy) emerged as the top destination, with 340,303 travelers departing from Bodrum and an additional 2,493 from Kusadasi. Rhodes followed closely, attracting 184,665 visitors from Marmaris, 48,409 from Fethiye, and 2,015 from Bodrum.
Other popular destinations included Chios (Sakiz) with 195,618 travelers from Cesme, Samos (Sisam) with 128,827 visitors from Kusadasi and 25,312 from Cesme, and Lesbos (Midilli) with 148,064 arrivals from Ayvalik and 7,895 from Izmir. Meanwhile, Kastellorizo (Meis) welcomed 48,123 Turkish tourists from Kas.
85% of overseas ferry travelers choose Greece
Out of 1.35 million Turkish tourists who traveled abroad by sea in 2024, a significant 85% opted for Greece’s Aegean islands. Other destinations included Northern Cyprus, which received 185,892 Turkish visitors, followed by Russia (6,467), Lebanon (5,823), and Romania (4,645).
With sea travel between Türkiye and Greece reaching historic levels, experts predict the trend will continue, solidifying the Greek islands as a favored getaway for Turkish tourists.
