Turks and Greeks what do you think of this development? And why is such a thing happening now?
Posted by Starfalloss@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 98 comments
No-Heart3432@reddit
I hope our tourism sector shatter completely and rebuild with a proper mentality instead of scamming people. That's all I'm gonna say.
bluecoldwhiskey@reddit
Greek tourism is also getting shittier and more expensive.Working hours , accommodation , low pay etc are widespread .
OverallACoolGuy@reddit
I feel like everyday the world gets more and more enshittified.
MrSimpple@reddit
Yeah capitalism is the reason. Fuck that state of the world
Suspicious_Plum_8866@reddit
“The world was a better place” is such unbelievable western centric copium
bluecoldwhiskey@reddit
Greed , deindustrialization and mass printing money (especially the USA) are the reasons.
starxidiamou@reddit
Are these correlated with capitalism?
bluecoldwhiskey@reddit
They are the reasons that western capitalism failed (accompanied by the woke ideology etc)
LargeFriend5861@reddit
"Woke Ideology" lmfao, yeah sure.
Voldypants_420@reddit
At first I was like what's special about the user name with stars, is it an anime or smth?
Then I read it again...
MrSimpple@reddit
You right yes, but still these are all symptoms of capitalism tho. Sadly.
HandleMore1730@reddit
An if you replaced capitalism with socialism or communism, you really thing people would have significant disposable income to spend on holidays?
History doesn't show this.
Capitalism is far from perfect. You can make it more humane by incentivise towards social goals and keep social services. You don't need to destroy a whole ecconomic model.
Montreal4life@reddit
Literally all Soviet workers had ample vacation time to go (famously) to Black sea region…
Affectionate-Band-15@reddit
In Romania they had less days off than presently, could not leave the country in general, and the offer was limited and bad, but it was affordable. Not a system to follow.
levenspiel_s@reddit
Yep. This is the root cause.
Haunting_G5159@reddit
Getting? Getting? You must be young brah
bluecoldwhiskey@reddit
You are right here . My bad . Yes I am only 26
Whole_Obligation_776@reddit
In 2022 I took a ferry ride from an island to Athens (12 hours, night voyage). I found the cabin prices a bit steep so I decided I can spend the night at the restaurant. I was a bit afraid that I would get judged like a beggar for not having a cabin.
I entered the ferry, all the Westoid language people started going their cabins while the greeks started pulling out sleeping-bags and putting them at randomly wherever they would find a corner. Corridors, lobby, etc. They were traveling little better than refugees.
It felt weird that they were living like second class citizens in their own country, not managing to deal with steep prices like me.
Mestintrela@reddit
We don't live like second class citizens. The thing you describe has been the same for the last century with the greek ferries.
I am an islander and I have been taking the ferry since I was a toddler. The number of cabins is only so much so not everone can go sleep in one. And now it is much better than in the past because there are affordable airplane seats and you don't have the option to only sit outside in the deck like 20 years ago.
Ofc the airplane tickets have in comparison fallen so the difference can be only 10-20 euros which make it worth it to fly instead of go by ferry.
Whole_Obligation_776@reddit
Sorry, this was just my take as an outsider. I get it, I had a couple conversations and everyone taking cheap options were islanders or people doing work trips. Still it felt weird.
Cant different ferry designs alleviate this problem though. The ferry I took felt like all made out of cabins with few common areas, especially the inside. And even with Aegean climate it was a bit hard to spend the entire night out in the decks (It was mid spring if I recall).
GrogmarktheRag@reddit
For night voyages by far the most popular choice is airplane-style seats. Cheaper than cabins, very comfortable (larger and softer than planes) and there's a rule of silence in common spaces. For cabins you have to share with 1-3 other people who are strangers to you, if you're traveling alone.
Mestintrela@reddit
Most cabins are for 4 people, a few for 2 and only a handful for singles (which also cost a fortune). If you go sleep with 3 strangers you dont know if they will smell, snore loudly, have problems or even steal your things. I was once robbed by one of the cabin mates when I went two minutes to the toilet and ever since never took a cabin again.
So it is actually safer and more comfortamble to take an airplane seat. Ofc my islands ferry takes only 9 hours so I am good. Some other small islands that may need 15+ hours that's different.
Several-Zombies6547@reddit
This has been the case since these ferries began service.
Also, the availability of cabins is limited in summer, so even people who can afford it are sometimes forced to sleep in deck.
nobody1568@reddit
That's the rule in tourism not the exception. Countless touristic "paradises" are out of reach for the local population.
Mucklord1453@reddit
was like that 30 years ago too
random_clone_7567@reddit
We are all in the same boat with this . It is frustrating. It is about the same if not cheaper to go five days in Rome that on one of our islands (both with good preparation)
Ok_Eagle_3079@reddit
A lose lose for Bulgarians who don't like to go on vacation in Bulgaria.
timisorean_02@reddit
Still, romanians, bulgarians, serbs will still continue to go to Greece 😄. It's too loved to be given up.
BrilliantNatural2018@reddit
Guys, I think at this point the vast majority of European countries have the same issue - services stay the same, even worsen but the prices stay the same or increase. I’m certain im this statement, but I don’t know if such a generalizing statement would be true for the rest of the world.
PeaceTo0l@reddit
You mean whole country's moral values?
casual_philosopher02@reddit
Ι was watching a comedy podcast/ live and one of the hosts went to Turkey. He was joking about how he went to Turkey and whole of Turkey said, this is a malaka, ask him any price he will pay🤣 co-hosts were saying he needed to nagotiate for prices there
SignificantMeet8747@reddit
as a bulgarian - it wont
you guys are most likely as corrupt as we are, it's cheaper to go to the Bahamas than go in a decent hotel here - we also flood into Greece for the same reasons, better hospitality, cheaper prices, much higher quality
LargeFriend5861@reddit
Wtf are you on about? Bulgaria isn't really allat bad to vacation in, not at all.
ioanasphere@reddit
I say the same about Romania, burn the tourism with fire and make space more civilized form of tourism to be born
lhookhaa@reddit
Funny how I'm going to Turkey this year instead of Greece because I found a better price...
Additional-Penalty97@reddit
We are going to be able to go to our own beaches without paying money for doing so
PhantomO1@reddit
well, maybe something positive comes out of this and our people become more amicable with each other the more time we spend among each other
dozey-@reddit
Turkish coastlines are under occupation of scammers and mafia. I hope they all go bankrupt.
Thanks to our Greek friends we can enjoy some holidays
ahmetcihankara@reddit
Fuckers in Bodrum are trying to sell mediocre pizza for 40 euros. And hotels are cheaper for foreigners for some reason
KuzuCevirme@reddit
Taxes. I pay %50 less than you guys in Türkiye.
gokkai@reddit
No you don't
KuzuCevirme@reddit
Sure you were the one book a ticket for me and my buddy in motherland
gokkai@reddit
learn some english before trying to show off to foreigners, by shitting on your own country with your ignorance
sloxetheburduri@reddit
Yeah i had a pizza twice the size and half the price in Nea Michaniona near Thessaloniki this summer, tasted amazing too.
Toogomeer@reddit
What? Pizza for 40€?!
levenspiel_s@reddit
Shitty pizza for €40.
xMaTx4@reddit
I dread to imagine what the price of a "good" pizza is
AudienceOpen5218@reddit
a good pizza is around 10 bucks normally, but tourist attraction points are filled to the brim with scammers.
ahmetcihankara@reddit
Yeah it's nuts
Armageddonn_mkd@reddit
Wait i am out of the loop what is going in turkey?
SudAnka@reddit
Economy r-worded by a kleptocratic gang that occupies the government position
Sufficient-Charge46@reddit
3 years ago when Erdoğan was elected turkish diaspora and foreigners thought turkey would be cheaper beaceuse lira but this didn't happen . İnstead Mehmet şimsek happened
Armageddonn_mkd@reddit
So turkey atm is more expensive then greece, food, accommodations what?
Sufficient-Charge46@reddit
Mostly yes but not all of turkey.
736384826@reddit
Excluding Istanbul there’s zero reasons for me to visit Turkey, it’s not the cost it’s just why would I go to Bodrum or Chesme or whatever instead of Syros?
tomukurazu@reddit
op, why is written on the image, smh...
we are extremely overpriced right now.
erlikosauruss@reddit
And yet Greece continues to block Türkiye–EU relations and to fuel anti-Turkish sentiment among younger generations through unfounded genocide claims. IMO, Turkish government must increase the international departure fee for Turkish citizens travelling to Greece to at least 1000 Euro as a retaliation against the Greek government’s adverse policies.
roflstones@reddit
kes, akmhpli
Emere59@reddit
Stfu
erlikosauruss@reddit
Sktr
CrazyNegotiation1934@reddit
Turkey is more expensive than Greece ?
I missed thst by much, i though was much cheaper in Turkey.
roflstones@reddit
we've paying london prices in Istanbul thanks to the shitty Erdogan government.
illougiankides@reddit
In turkey even as turks we are scammed, the food we eat is of shitty quality and service sucks. In greece i know what i eat won’t make me sick in two hours, i know i’ll pay what is written in the menu and i know the service will be good. Why give money to scammers when i can have a better holiday? Instead of driving 8 hours to the south, drive 8 hours to the west, nothing changes if you already have the visa
napstrike@reddit
I have a theory. Business ownership in Turkey is very low. Almost every business rents the property and the rents are too damn high. Family businesses have closed down one by one in Turkey, mostly due to incompetent or lazy inheritors selling the property for a quick buck. This is obvious when you go to one of the few remaining family business in Turkey, they usually sell the same thing for 3/4th of the price or sometimes half. And since even a small coffee shops rent is around 1700 €/month in Turkey, I understand them. Id be happy if a Greek friend would help me with this theory. Are most businesses in your islands self-owned or rental?
WelcomeDesigner2051@reddit
I was in both turkey and greece last year. Greece was way cheeper. I came from germany. Also i can speak fluently turkish and the turkish vendors tried to scam me anyways. Its a mentality problem in turkey unfortunately.
freddo_expresso@reddit
I have been to Istanbul 3 times, last one being 2019. I have friends that visited a couple months ago, and I was SHOCKED how more expensive it is now.
I mean, 50€ for each main attraction? Not even the Acropolis has such ticket. You need 200€ just for tickets for BASIC attractions. This is insane.
PlamenIB@reddit
Same. I used to go there every summer (I don’t like beaches and things like that) as the city is huge and quite dynamic but I am not going anytime soon unfortunately. I chose Thessaloniki for this year but Istanbul definitely lost its charm with all the scams some people try to pull and not to mention the prices. I am ok paying more just because it is a historical city but unfortunately some people take advantage of this.
yns1899@reddit
The economy is actually decent, but we pay heavy taxes. The iPhone 17 Pro Max costs twice the minimum wage to import, but with taxes added, it sells for five times as much.
alababama@reddit
Turkish lira is kept artificially strong to fight off inflation but that does not work, so you get high inflation and therefore get very expensive country even in Euro terms. Add to this greed pf people who try to milk the cow which is Turkish customer. Unfprtunately most Turkish peoole cannot visit Greece freely due to visas. If visa issue did not exist torusim towards Greece would easily triple or quadriple of what it is now.
freddo_expresso@reddit
Greece has 10 visa-free islands for Turks from what I know, the permits last for 10 days I think.
alababama@reddit
It ia not visa free but easier to get visas and those islands are full of Turkish people.
freddo_expresso@reddit
Full of Turkish tourists you mean?
macellan@reddit
Are you implying that Turkish tourists are not people?
(Joking, I see what you mean.)
Lotofagos_@reddit
isn't there a tourist visa for greece, specifically for turkish citizens?
FantasticQuartet@reddit
They still need a visa, they can just get it here as soon as they arrive, instead of getting in their country before travel.
It's also only about the islands not the mainland, and a lot of Turks visit northern Greece, especially Thessaloniki to see Ataturk's house which is preserved as a museum.
Lotofagos_@reddit
you're right, visa free would violate schengen i didn't think of that
alababama@reddit
There is an easier visa granting for some islands.
enteralterego@reddit
It literally says it in the image. Greece is better value. Too bad the food mostly sucks.
Selimyldrm0@reddit
when the Turkish lira is way more valuable than its supposed to be this happens
mantequilla_8@reddit
When one euro was 7 liras turkey was such a cheap vacation trip. Wonderful country. But now is 1 euro = 53 liras and you can’t buy anything.
beofnads@reddit
foreign exchange rate in turkey has been supressed for a few years now. Making TL overpriced which makes it a very bad deal to exchange EUR/USD to TL. on the other hand if you are earning in TL and can spend it overseas you get a pretty good deal. if you bring back a few bottles of good liqueur with you from greece its like your trip paying for itself since liquer has like 50000000000000% tax here.
Putrid_Speed_5138@reddit
I think most Turkish tourists love Greece due the wonderful Greek hospitality, familiar culture, higher quality and affordable costs.
Most Greek restaurateurs, shopkeepers etc. also love Turkish tourists due to them being decent customers with a familiar culture --- with no excesses seen more frequently in some other tourist groups, such as Brits, Germans and Russians.
StPauliPirate@reddit
I think the biggest problem with turkish tourism sector is the elephant in the room, no one openly dares to talk about. The migration from the south east brought mafia like structures and harassment of tourists (especially the female ones). Going to certain places in Istanbul or Antalya, feels like a outlandish experience for turkish people.
GoddessOfAffection@reddit
Greece has always been my number one vacation spot. But I prefer ancient cities over beaches.
disneyplusser@reddit
Well, the market has spoken. People march with their wallets in mind. That is what it means.
Mestintrela@reddit
The Greeks who went to Turkey for tourism more or less continue to go, but the Turks have multiplied.
The Greeks who went to Turkey for shopping tourism have stopped for the last 10 years.
Also Greeks don't go to Turkey to go swim in the beaches.
They go to archaelogical and religious sites and many of them are not in the premier touristic areas so the prices are more reasonable like Cappadokia and Pontus etc
My parents have travelled to Turkey 4 times in the last 2 years and apart from the coasts , the more inland sites are still well priced, good service , good food and friendly people. It is still cheaper than Greece.
basedfinger@reddit
Also Turkish holiday towns tend to be shite.
Nikoschalkis1@reddit
I don't know if it's only the cost. Personally having been to both there is definitely a quality imbalance between the two and it's tipping on our side.
VladimirLogos@reddit
Istambul prices higher than in entire Western Europe. Brothers be smoking too much non-tobacco!
FantasticQuartet@reddit
I have never been to Turkey but I have relatives that went recently.
They said that they wanted to buy clothes there but the prices were higher than they expected when they saw the currency conversion in their bank. They also said every touristic street was filled with annoying people getting in their faces and trying to lure them in shops.
Hexxagon66@reddit
Well, since Turkey tried to keep foreign exchange rates lower than their market value for a long time, Turkey ended up becoming expensive as hell. At the same time, salaries for many qualified people working in good positions and good companies also increased, and some of them even started earning amounts that are quite high in euro terms. For example my salary who started to work in August 2025 is 2k euros net without bonus and I will get a raise in July. My manager earns around 10k euros net so he is traveling a lot for example to Greece, France, Switzerland, Asian countries etc.
xr3dxi@reddit
Tourism mafias in Turkey simple as that. I can see why ppl prefer Greece over Turkey. No autopark prices, noone is bugging you to come to their shop on streets, no inflated prices by the shop owners and etc. Atleast in the places that I went for the holidays. For tourism I can say that Greece is Turkey without the dumb shit
Privateer_Lev_Arris@reddit
The answer is pretty much in the headline.
ShitassAintOverYet@reddit
I wish my own country wasn't a fucking scam, people going to Greece as an aftermath of that is completely normal.
UnhappyBreadfruit607@reddit
Our hotels are asking prices as if they are 5 star hotels in highly expensive metropol areas while giving services as if they are paid by exposure hopes and dreams (especially to local tourists) additionally Greeks see Turkey as a military threat while Turkey mostly don't (reason is we actually have good military tech industry and better army so we mostly don't see as military threat not because of one sided paranoia)
freddo_expresso@reddit
The fact that the Greek PM doesn't say we might come one night or that we may bomb Ankara, helps a bit too.
-MrAnderson@reddit
Costs put Greeks off not only Turkey but Greece as well.
I've yet to be in a beach in Macedonia and meet more Greeks than foreigners. Car plates are almost always North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Turkey, depending on the place.
Final-Nebula-7049@reddit
Turkish tourism sector, much like all other sales groups, think they should 'turn the corner' by selling in Euros so they can see tomorrow. Short sighted as always. So Turks go and hang with our besties in Greece for far cheeper. Better facilities, better general feel, away from the shit storm.