New prospects for strengthening tourism between Greece and Turkey
Events held in Athens and Thessaloniki bringing together Greek and Turkish tourism professionals
Events to present and promote Turkey’s tourism destinations were recently held in Athens and Thessaloniki. Tourism operators from Greece and Turkey participated, with the aim to promote the cultural routes of Turkey, with particular emphasis on the Cappadocia region, and develop business relations between Greek tourism professionals and their Turkish counterparts.
The events were held within the framework of the cooperation developed by FedHATTA, HATTA, and the Association of Tourist Agencies of Macedonia-Thrace with the organizers of the events, the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Promotion Agency (TGA), the Culture and Tourism Office of Turkey in Athens, and Turkish Airlines.
During the events, the possibilities of complementing each other in tourism by attracting tourists from third countries with organized tours promoting joint destinations were discussed. It was also recognized that if there is a solution to the visa issue, the numbers of Turkish tourists in Greece would be much higher.
Professor Şükran Ünser, Director of the Application and Research Department of Cappadocia University, gave a presentation, on behalf of TGA, of the history and culture of Cappadocia throughout the centuries. In addition, TGA’s Product Marketing Group Manager, Burcu Gezeroglou, gave a detailed presentation of Turkey as a tourist destination by region, focusing on historical monuments, infrastructure, gastronomy, cruises and alternative forms of tourism that have developed in recent years. Reference was also made to the goal set by Turkey for the complete transition to sustainable tourism by 2030.
The president of FedHATTA, Lysandros Tsilidis, said: “We welcomed the organization of these important events in Athens and Thessaloniki, as we believe in the great prospects that tourism has between Greece and Turkey. Turkey has been a perennially popular destination for Greek travelers and the cultural ties of the two countries are the platform on which we can further strengthen the two-way tourist flows. For our part, as the institutional body representing Greek tourism agencies, we are committed to supporting the promotion of Cappadocia as a tourist destination for Greek travelers. The prospects for the development of Greek-Turkish tourism relations, which will undoubtedly be of great benefit to both countries, are greater than ever, at a time when travel takes on a new meaning for travelers and both Greece and Turkey are upgrading their tourism product.”
The events were honored with the presence by the Ambassador of Turkey in Athens, Çağatay Erciyes and the Consul General of Turkey in Thessaloniki, Serkan Gedik, and the participation of the Director General of TGA, İsmail Bütün, Veli Aydin, Culture and Tourism Office of Turkey in Athens, Ahmet Haluk Güngör, Regional Sales Manager Athens of Turkish Airlines, Efimia Balakaki, Marketing Representative of Turkish Airlines as well as representatives of TGA. The Greek side was represented by the president of FedHATTA, Lysandros Tsilidis and the president of the Association of Tourist Offices of Macedonia Thrace, Byron Theologis. The Thessaloniki event was attended by the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism, Viki Chatzivasileiou and the Mayor’s Special Advisor, Alexandros Mandrinos.
