The sector of tourism "became the backbone of Greek-Turkish rapprochement and the vehicle that brought our two peoples closer," Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni said on Wednesday, apropos of the Greece-Türkiye Joint Tourism Committee meeting in Athens.

Tourism has also contributed to "the mitigation of negative stereotypes dominating societies of both countries," she added.

The Committee's 5th meeting took place in the presence of Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, leading a delegation to Greece. 

Kefalogianni said that when the procedures of rapprochement were set out in the early 2000s, tourism flows between the two countries did not exceed a few thousand visitors on either side. "Within only 20 years, they reached one million on each side, before the pandemic," while this year indicates a gradual recovery of the numbers.

During their meeting, the two sides discussed strategies and practices on sustainable tourism and climate change, options in promoting collaboration in niche tourism (agrotourism, gastronomy, maritime and health tourism), and exchanged views on tourism career training and investments.

Turkish Minister Ersoy said he was committed to promoting joint work in tourism and expressed his certainty that "the topics of the agenda and the minutes signed in the contex of the meeting will be decisive in future expansion of tourism relations."
 

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Greece returns stolen hoard of ancient coins to Türkiye