Turkish demand for travel to the Greek islands is rising sharply during the 2026 tourism season, driven by frequent ferry connections and the continuation of Greece’s simplified short-stay visa program for Turkish citizens.
Ferry reservations from Turkey increased by 53.9% compared with the same period last year, according to an analysis by Greek booking platform Ferryscanner. The data covers reservations made between January 1 and July 28, 2026, for travel between June and September.
Turkey recorded the largest percentage increase among the 15 leading foreign markets using the platform, although it ranked 12th in total booking volume. The figures represent reservations processed through Ferryscanner rather than all ferry passengers traveling between Turkey and Greece.
Actual arrival figures from several eastern Aegean islands also point to continued growth in 2026.
Chios received 50,866 Turkish visitors during the first six months of the year, compared with 44,274 during the same period in 2025—an increase of nearly 15%.
On Lesvos, 23,863 Turkish visitors arrived between January and May 2026, up from 16,053 during the corresponding period last year. That represents an increase of 48.6%.
May was particularly strong for Lesvos, with 14,275 arrivals from Turkey compared with 7,326 in May 2025—an increase of nearly 95%. The island received 114,458 Turkish visitors during all of 2025.
The increase comes as Greece has renewed its Visa Express program through April 2027. The special arrangement applies to Chios, Kalymnos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Leros, Lesvos, Limnos, Patmos, Rhodes, Samos, Samothraki and Symi.
The visa allows Turkish citizens and their family members to remain on a participating island for up to seven days without completing the full process required for a standard Schengen visa.
It is a single-entry, island-specific permit. Travelers cannot use it to continue to mainland Greece, visit another participating island or enter another country in the Schengen Area. A regular Schengen visa is still required for travel to Athens, Thessaloniki or other destinations beyond the island where the visitor entered.
Although commonly described as a “visa on arrival,” it is not normally a walk-up permit issued without preparation. Applicants generally submit passports and supporting documents through an authorized travel agency or ferry operator before departure. The visa is then processed and placed in the passport at the designated Greek port of entry.
The application fee is €60 and the entry process includes passport controls and the collection of fingerprints.
The program was introduced in April 2024 following an agreement between Greece and Turkey and was initially available on 10 islands. Patmos and Samothraki were later added, bringing the total to 12.
Full-year figures illustrate the rapid expansion of the Turkish travel market. Nearly 1.5 million Turkish citizens visited Greece in 2025, compared with approximately 1.2 million in 2024—an increase of about 25%. Bank of Greece and INSETE figures cited in Greek media placed the exact 2025 total at approximately 1.497 million visitors, representing 3.9% of all international arrivals to Greece and generating an estimated €604 million in travel receipts.
Separate maritime figures show that 1,119,472 passenger journeys were recorded from Turkish ports to Greek islands in 2025. The number includes all passengers using the routes, regardless of nationality, and should not be treated as the number of individual Turkish tourists or Visa Express recipients.
The distinction is important. National tourism figures count Turkish residents entering Greece through airports, land borders and seaports, while maritime statistics count individual ferry journeys. Visa Express figures cover only travelers entering under the special island program.
On Chios, for example, 131,324 Turkish visitors were recorded in 2025, while Turkish maritime authorities counted 192,333 passenger journeys from Çeşme to Chios. The larger number included return travelers and passengers of nationalities other than Turkish. Local tourism officials estimate that approximately 20% of Turkish visitors to Chios entered through the Visa Express program.
