The Aegean islands are experiencing an unprecedented tourism boom, as the number of Turkish tourists visiting the islands using Greece’s fast-track visa program has quintupled.

The special visa grants a seven-day visa-on-arrival for twelve eastern Aegean islands—including Kos, Rhodes, Chios, Lesbos, Patmos and Samos.

Established in 2024 initially for just five islands, the visa’s overwhelming success has led to its expansion, and extension for another year.

Kos was the most popular destination for Turkish tourist last year, largely due to its close proximity to Bodrum, followed by Rhodes and Chios.

August proved to be the peak travel month in 2025, recording nearly 281,000 arrivals, followed by July with 233,000 arrivals and September with 188,000 arrivals.

To meet the soaring demand for visits to the rest of Greece, the Greek consulate in Istanbul is also issuing approximately 1,300 visas daily.

The surge in Turkish visitors reflects a broader economic shift between the two nations.

According a recent Euronews report, Greeks frequently traveled to Turkish cities like Istanbul, Edirne and Keşan. Now, skyrocketing inflation in Turkey has actually made Greece the more affordable option for dining and purchasing goods, changing tourism flows between the two countries.

Turkish tourism to Greece has now tripled overall in the last four years, reaching almost 1.5 million visitors last year, according to official estimates. Meanwhile, Greek travel to Turkey has remained relatively steady, with just over 560,000 visitors in 2025.

As far as tourism expenditures are concerned, Greek visitors to Turkey spend an average of €340 ($395) per trip while Turkish tourists spend an average of €303 ($352) in Greece.