Greece and Turkey Sign Tourism Agreement

Last month, the Greek Minister of Tourism Fanny Palli-Petralia and her Turkish counterpart, Attila Koc, signed a memorandum on tourism cooperation. The agreement signed on Mrs Palli-Petralia’s second visit to Turkey will make travel between the two countries easier, encourage private initiatives, create new coastal shipping routes, strengthen air connections and allow for cooperation in marine tourism.

Mrs Palli-Petralia said that signing of the agreement reinforced the steps made over the past years for cooperation and friendship between the two countries.

The agreement also provides for officials from each country to visit the other to learn about the construction and management of marinas, as well as the exchange of knowledge and experience for certifying agro-tourism accommodations.

The two ministers also agreed to establish a training team of representatives from educational institutions and tourism schools of the two countries that will coordinate visits and training of student and teachers from one country to the other’s hotels facilities.

Another announcement was that the special training program for 15 managers and teachers from tourism and hotel schools in Turkey has been prepared and is ready for use in Athens.

Meanwhile, in an initiative organized by the National Bank of Greece, representatives from 50 Greek businesses traveled to Turkey to meet with local businesspersons in related sectors. The sectors that received the greatest interest for investment were tourism, energy, shipbuilding and  agricultural products. Greek businesses expressed interest in purchasing hotels in Turkey.