The economic relationship between Greece and Turkey has undergone a notable shift. While bilateral trade and tourism have doubled over five years, the benefits are now flowing unevenly, with Turkish visitors increasingly choosing Greece for holidays and shopping, while Greeks find Turkey less affordable.
Until about a decade ago, Greeks regularly crossed into Turkey to shop in Istanbul, Edirne, and Keşan. Today, the pattern has reversed. Maria Dimou, a Greek resident of Istanbul, explains: “In Turkey, the bare essentials are cheap, but for anything more expensive, prices shoot up. So Turks go to Greece — to Alexandroupolis, sometimes as far as Kavala — for holidays or shopping, mainly for food, drinks, and cold meats, which are very expensive here.”
Tripling of Turkish Arrivals
Official estimates show that the number of Turks visiting Greece has tripled over the past four years, from roughly 500,000 to over 1.5 million in 2025. Greek arrivals in Turkey have remained stable at just over 500,000 annually. Doruk, a computer engineer from Ankara, told Euronews after a recent trip: “I drove to Kavala and Thessaloniki. The food was delicious, portions were generous, and everything was cheap.”
Symeon Soltaridis, president of the Greek Community of Balino in Istanbul, notes that many Turks now take day trips from Edirne into Orestiada or travel further into Greece. “From Ayvalık and other areas, thousands cross over to the Greek islands, especially in summer, because the cost of tourism in Greece is far lower than in Turkey,” he says.
Visa Express and Island Boom
The Greek consulate in Istanbul issues around 1,300 visas daily, mostly multi-entry, for Turks planning repeated visits. An additional 25,000 Turks hold or are applying for residence permits through golden visa schemes or work. A fast-track on-the-spot visa scheme, known as “Visa Express,” covers 12 islands in the north-eastern Aegean and Dodecanese: Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Lesbos, Leros, Limnos, Rhodes, Samos, Symi, Chios, Patmos, and Samothrace. Visas are valid for seven days and tie the holder to a single island. Kos, due to its proximity to Bodrum, topped arrivals last year, followed by Rhodes and Chios. August saw nearly 281,000 arrivals, with July and September close behind.
This initiative, part of broader “people-to-people diplomacy,” was launched after a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with European Commission approval.
Greek Visitors Struggle with Turkish Prices
In Istanbul, shopkeepers report a decline in Greek customers. Kantar Pehlivanoglu, who sells jewellery and accessories, says: “In the past I had more Greek customers. Now it’s harder for them even to come to Turkey, let alone shop here.” Soltaridis adds: “They come, look around, experience the city, see us, the Rum Greeks, but they cannot buy because things have become expensive.”
Official figures show each Greek visitor spent an average of €340 per trip in 2025, up about €50 annually over three years, but inflation in Turkey means that sum buys less. Turkish visitors to Greece spent just over €300 per trip on average, according to the Bank of Greece. Dimou sums up the contrast: “It is much cheaper to go to Greece, eat in a taverna, drink ouzo, stay the night, and come back than to go to a similar taverna in Istanbul. The quality of food in Greece has improved dramatically, and for Turks, prices are affordable, while here they have skyrocketed.”
The trend underscores how diverging economic conditions are reshaping travel and trade between two neighbours that have long oscillated between confrontation and calm. For now, the Aegean is drawing Turks in record numbers, while Greeks are staying closer to home.
