A new initiative by the Municipality of Chios comes to strengthen the island’s relations with Izmir and neighboring Turkey, with the aim of promoting Chios as a destination with a unique cultural, gastronomic and natural identity. Within the framework of the actions of the 2025 Tourism Promotion Program, the Municipality decided to organize an event in Izmir, addressed to tourism professionals, businessmen, journalists and opinion leaders.
The event will be a comprehensive presentation of the island, highlighting Chios as a crossroads of culture, history and hospitality, but also as a modern destination for experiences throughout the year. At the same time, the aim will be to strengthen commercial, tourist and cultural ties with Izmir and the wider region of Turkey, through joint initiatives that will combine gastronomy, culture and entrepreneurship.
The organization includes b2b meetings with Turkish tour operators, travel agencies and media representatives, while the creation of printed and digital promotional material, the provision of refreshments and linguistic and secretarial support for the event are planned. At the same time, the action will be supported in terms of communication, with the cooperation of the Greek Consulate in Izmir and tourism organizations on both sides.
As noted in the decision, the goal for 2026 is not only to maintain, but also to increase the number of visitors from the neighboring country, through actions that will deepen the cultural and tourist relations between the two destinations.
Given that in the period 2024–2025, arrivals to Chios exceeded 171,000, with a significant percentage coming from Turkey but also from markets such as Europe, Latin America and South Korea, the Municipality aims for the next year to further increase visitors from the neighboring country, strengthening Chios as a gateway for cultural and tourist exchange in the Aegean.
The upcoming event in Izmir is not only a promotion of the destination, but a practical initiative of cooperation and friendship between two regions that are historically and culturally connected, confirming the role of Chios as a “meeting point of cultures, tourism and friendship”.
