Tourism to Lesvos Picks Up Pace, Arrivals Fully Recover

Lesvos. Photo source: Visit Greece

Arrivals to the airport of Lesvos have recovered fully reaching pre-pandemic 2019 levels and more airline companies are already offering flights, said local tourism stakeholders during a day event organized by the Lesvos Tourism Partnership, which includes the Region of North Aegean, Marketing Greece, Fraport Greece and Aegean Airlines.

Addressing the event, North Aegean Region Governor Konstantinos Moutzouris said the focus was now on attracting more tourists from Turkey and called on the government to reinstate a visa program terminated in 2019 that facilitated travel between the two countries.

North Aegean Region Governor Konstantinos Moutzouris.

Moutzouris went on to add that great efforts had been made to restore the island’s good reputation and change its brand name following the impact of the refugee crisis which hit Lesvos the most.

Actions in this direction include a marketing program that includes four promotional videos that feature the important tourism offerings of the island including its ouzo, sardine, Petrified Forest and bird watching activities.

Indicatively, the governor said the number of nights spent in the Kalloni area by bird watchers went from 2,500 to 6,000 this year and 12,000 based on pre-bookings next year.

Moutzouris went on to announce that on December 7, celebrity chef Argiro Barbarigou will be presenting Lesvos cuisine at the Zappeion in Athens.

‘Visa program must return’

Referring to the visa he said it would contribute significantly to arrivals from Turkey. The issue was discussed earlier this year during talks between Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni and Turkey’s Ambassador to Greece Cagatay Erciyes, who called for the reinstatement of a pilot program which simplified visa requirements for a number of Greek island ports which welcome a large number of visitors from Turkey.