[Hephaestion]

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt...61114&hn=38261

Turkey and Greece have signed a tourism cooperation protocol envisioning a greater exchange of information on issues like infrastructure and maritime tourism.

The protocol was signed on Sunday in Antalya southern Turkey by Turkish Tourism Minister Atilla Koc and his Greek counterpart Fani Palli-Petralia on the sidelines of the 2nd joint Greek-Turkish Tourism Committee Meeting and the 7th Greek-Turkish tourism forum.

The protocol also includes potential marina partnerships and the hosting of joint sailing regattas.

With the protocol, travel by third country tourists between Turkey and Greece will be made easier.

The Greek-Turkish Tourism Committee also agreed to inaugurate new ferry links.

Turkish minister Koc invited the Greek side to participate in a tourism exhibition in February in Istanbul.

Mrs. Petralia, for her part, remarked that through mutual cooperation in the tourism sector, Greece and Turkey could better prepare for the future and achieve better results vis-à-vis international competition. Around 50,000 Turkish nationals go on yachting holidays in Greece every year. 120,000 Turkish nationals visited the country while 585,000 Greek nationals visited Turkey in 2005, up from 100,000 in 2004.

The ferry links sounds very fab too me! Hope more flight links will come from this aswell - it will make travelling around the aegean much easier.

[joy]

Great news, any co=operation between turkey and Greece is a improvement and a step in the right direction to benefit both.
Thanks for sharing Heph.

[sarahv]

Thats very good news

[TommySweden]

Really great news, I really like the greek islands. Everything that simplify travelling between Turkey and Greece is good. And off course everything that improves the relation between the countries is really good