Buoyed by increases in business in the 18 months since it began flying from Istanbul directly to Thessaloniki, Turkish Airlines said it would add a seventh daily flight beginning on Dec. 6, and company officials said that if Greece lifts its visa requirement on Turks and other prospective visitors that the numbers could rise 10-fold, or even double that, and bring in 1 million tourists.
”If you sort out the visa issue you will have ten times more tourists visiting Thessaloniki and the whole Northern Greece.” That was the pitch from Turkish Airlines, which said Greece could attract more Turks as well as from other countries, according to voria.gr
Some 600,000 would come from Turkey with the rest from other parts of Asia, according to the company’s General Manager Outkou Yiazan. He said the company believes there are big prospects for the route, as well as tourism possibilities for northern Greece, noting that the area is especially good for winter visitors.
He said the company expects to double the number of tourists it transports to winter vacation destinations of northern Greece, such as Kaimaktsalan. He stressed that the company, after doing market research, intends to continue investing in its connection with Thessaloniki by increasing the number of flights so that passengers are better serviced, with flights at more convenient hours for stopovers.
In the 18 months since the Istanbul-Thessaloniki route was established, Turkish Airlines flights have been filled to capacity 75 percent, a 15 percent increase while the number of Turks from Smyrna, who go through Istanbul to reach Thessaloniki, has doubled.
He said some 55,000 travelers have used the route since it began in mid-2011, half of which were not from Turkey but originated in India and other developing tourist markets.
In a news conference, which included the Consul-General of Turkey in Thessaloniki, Tougroul Biltekin, said if Greece abolishes the visa requirement for Turkish citizens and important Muslim monuments in northern Greece are exploited that Greece could expect an explosion of new visitors during its crushing economic crisis. Tourism is Greece’s most important industry.
He added that the initiative for restoring and using Muslim monuments in Greece to attract tourists is up to the government but noted they are part of the cultural history of Greece.
The Turkish government has asked for Greece to lift the visa requirement, a message that was conducted to Tourism Minister Olga Kefaloyianni. Turkish Airlines said it could be an important agent.
Tourism in Thessaloniki has benefited from Turkish Airlines, especially at a time when other airline companies have stopped flying to the city. This year Thessaloniki is expected to have 50,000 stay-over nights from Turkish visitors, compared to 36,600 last year, and 26,800 in 2010.
Turkish Airlines plans to expand its operations in India and China, which could be prime sources of visitors to Turkey as well as Greece. In January and February of 2013, there will be delegations from Indian tourist agencies, journalists and business executives from New Delhi and Mumbai who will visit Thessaloniki to promote tourism in the area. Tour operators in Thessaloniki and Turkey are working together to offer combined packages for both destinations.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
