Greece – Turkey Hoteliers Arrange Istanbul Meet for Spring

Hoteliers from Greece and Turkey will be meeting in Istanbul in April to discuss cooperation as well as ways to address the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX) announced the news during the 4th Session of the Joint Tourism Committee and the 9th Greek-Turkish Forum on Tourism held in Izmir this week, where it accompanied Tourism Minister Vasilis Kikilias.

POX President Grigoris Tasios and Hellenic Chamber of Hotels President Alexandros Vassilikos met with local stakeholders and discussed ways of reviving tourism from the Turkish market in 2022 and enhancing bilateral cooperation between hospitality services providers in both countries.

Tasios also agreed with his counterpart Müberra Eresin of the Hotel Association of Turkey (TÜROB) to organize the first workshop between the two federations in April 2022 in Istanbul, with the participation of other tourism organizations from both countries. 

“Our goal is to increase arrivals by Turkish travelers to our country from 2022 onward. We want the restart of the Turkish market to be achieved in quality terms and we are targeting tourists with these characteristics in order to strengthen the tourist flow from foreign markets and to stimulate income,” said Tasios.

The chief of POX went on to add that the launch of a new air connection in June announced by AEGEAN between Thessaloniki and Izmir and the extension of a 72-hour visa to include – besides the Aegean islands – mainland destinations are expected to boost travel between the two countries. Air and road connectivity are expected to facilitate three-day trips, said Tasios.