The signing of a protocol of cooperation on tourism between Greece and Turkey was emphasized on Wednesday during the 8th Greece-Turkey Forum on Tourism in Athens.
HATTA (Association of Greek Travel Agencies) and TURSAB (Association of Turkish Travel Agencies) decided to develop two center holidays within the context of the two countries joint efforts of promoting tourism in countries, such as India, China, Japan and North America.
Ministers of Culture and Tourism from both sides agreed that obstacles need to be overcome in terms of simplifying visa issuance procedures (Schengen legislation).
Joint travel packages offered by Greece and Turkey will feature common tourism products, such as familiarisation trips and promotion programmes, stressed Mr. Geroulanos during the Forum.
For the best promotion of the joint travel packages the two sides have deemed as highly important the organization of workshops between the travel agencies of the neighboring countries as well as familiarisation trips for agencies from the target markets.
The initial phase of the promotion will include the markets of India and China until 2012, while it will later expand to Taiwan and Korea and other South Asian countries. Opening up to these countries could be a life-jacket for the recession hit economy of Greece, which has affected tourism as well.
Athens and Ankara will also seek closer collaboration on cultural tourism, by organizing a forum on tourism this autumn and will exchange know-how and experiences regarding the protection of cultural treasures and against the illegal trade of antiquities.
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