Religious holiday in Turkey occasion for mass influx of holiday-makers to nearby Greek isle of Lesvos

A significant arrival of Turkish tourists has been recorded over the past week, as the Muslim religious holiday of Kurban Bayrami began in the neighboring country on June 23, and continued until Sunday – traditionally an occasion for travel.

According to estimates by local officials on the eastern Aegean isle, some 9,000 Turkish holiday-makers arrived on Lesvos, with overall occupancy on the large island cited at 98 percent.

“Turkey is next to us, namely, Ayvalik, where many Turkish vacationers take their holiday, and also find the opportunity, particularly weekends and three-day weekends, to cross over,” the president of the union of travel agents of Lesvos, Panagiotis Hatzikyriakos, said.

He added that the last week of June 2023 and the first days of July have exceeded expectations.