Numerous Russian tourists who could potentially choose Greek resorts for vacation this summer went to Turkey. Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mikotakis lamented that the sanctions imposed by Greece against Russia are to blame for everything, whose statement was happily quoted by the Turkish mass media.
Speaking at a press conference after a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas in Tallinn, the Greek minister said that this summer Russian travelers preferred dubious Greece to understandable Turkey: vacationers were scared off by the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, so they decided not to take risks and choose the Turkish coast, whose authorities last season distinguished themselves with friendly rhetoric towards the Russian Federation.
When it became clear that the Greek treasury lost potential revenue, the official pointed out that the Greek authorities, like Cyprus, do not actually support a total ban on Russian tourists visiting the European Union (EU). Nevertheless, they joined the sanctions packages, although as a tourist destination they have already suffered the consequences of all Russian sanctions imposed by Western countries. “This summer, practically no one came to Greece from Russia: almost all Russians who want to go on a trip went to Turkey,” he complained.
Earlier, the government of Ireland announced that the country decided to exclude Russia and Belarus from the scheme of visa-free entry for short-term stays, and the authorities of the popular Czech Republic completely closed the border to Russian citizens entering the country on tourist visas (read details at this link).