2024-06-28 19:24:13
SYRIZA-PS MPs submitted a parliamentary query to the Ministers of Tourism, International Affairs and Citizen Safety, on the topic “The nation is unprepared to welcome the elevated vacationer site visitors from Turkey. Danger of defamation as a result of critical issues within the software of visa specific in Rhodes”.
Query
To Mr. Ministers
Tourism
International
Citizen Safety
Matter: “The nation is unprepared to welcome the elevated vacationer site visitors from Turkey. Danger of defamation as a result of critical issues within the software of visa specific in Rhodes”
Within the final week we now have witnessed a chaotic state of affairs that prevailed on the nation’s entry gates to the island of Rhodes as a whole bunch of Turkish vacationers who tried to succeed in the island with a view to spend their holidays are unable to take action.
The reason being the issues which have occurred throughout the means of granting the visa specific, a brand new fast-track means of on-site entry visa, with a particular stamp that’s positioned on the passport, after issuing a related receipt and receiving biometric knowledge.
The issues weren’t a bolt from the blue for the federal government. Already, earlier than the beginning of this course of, there have been warnings. Journey brokers and different professionals within the area had raised issues about its easy implementation, as many Turkish residents, some 30,000, turned their backs on the older visa system and opted for the brand new system as extra direct and fewer time-consuming. This resulted within the lengthy waits for the issuance of the traditional visa being added to the lengthy waits for the issuance of the specific visa.
Authorities bulletins reminiscent of these of the Minister of International Affairs, in March 2024 from the ground of the Parliament, that everlasting conferences are held, that “We’re coordinating, in order that we now have outcomes that will likely be as optimistic as potential, additionally for the Greek economic system, however but in addition for the additional deepening of relations between the 2 peoples”, and that the entry factors of ten islands and ports require reinforcement with personnel from the Ministry of Citizen Safety and the Ministry of Insular Coverage, proved to be empty.
For communication causes solely, the statements of the Prime Minister had been made who, throughout his go to to Mytilini on April 19, identified that it is a measure that required a variety of work “with a view to persuade the European Fee that we’re prepared to satisfy the excessive calls for of Schengen, to have the ability to difficulty visas inside minutes.”
Sadly, this much-advertised “jiffy” course of was become a Golgotha for 1000’s of Turkish vacationers by the failures and lack of coordination of the manager state, with the outcome that a lot of them had been compelled to cancel their holidays and switch again.
As well as, the issue was additional exacerbated by the arrival of cruise passengers and the following confusion, as cruise ships had not been included within the preliminary visa choice, which was subsequently completed. The “employees authorities” didn’t take care to strengthen customs in time to successfully take care of the calls for of extra controls, and the system of reception and administration of Turkish vacationers very quickly reached its limits and proved to be de facto insufficient.
The related course of, because it developed, triggered basic dissatisfaction and gave meals for adverse criticism from Turkish newspapers and vacationer brokers who had been fast to denounce the related Greek authorities that they had been “caught unprepared” to reply efficiently to the elevated curiosity of Turkish residents for holidays in Greece .
As a result of, based on the related publications, a whole bunch of individuals finally didn’t handle to return from Turkey to Rhodes for a few-day holidays, inside the framework of the brand new particular visa granting regime, as there was a large number of purposes that the Greek authorities didn’t have time to look at.
As a result of, the queues shaped, and the massive struggling suffered by the Turkish vacationers who selected Greece for his or her holidays, increase the danger of stopping a lot of vacationers from visiting Greece for his or her holidays, and negatively criticize the power of our nation as a secure vacation spot.
As a result of, as soon as once more, it proves that Greek tourism is on autopilot, and the related ministries are unable to coordinate.
Mr. and Mrs. Ministers:
1. What preventive actions did they take and what interventions did they take with different ministries, with a view to guarantee the graceful implementation of the brand new process, taking into consideration that reservations had already been expressed as a result of giant enhance in associated purposes? What do they intend to do to stop related conditions sooner or later?
2. What extra actions did they take to take care of the lengthy queues that shaped and the lengthy delay?
3. What actions will the Ministry of Tourism take, alone or in collaboration with different ministries, with a view to restore the adverse picture of our nation as a result of above?
The Questioning Members of Parliament
Vetta Calliope
Avlonitis Alexandros-Christos
Dourou Irini (Rena)
Thracian Heaven
Malama Sunday
Barkas Konstantinos
Katerina Notopoulou
Papas Petros
Poulos Iotas
Ioannis Sarakiotis
Christidou Rally
Psychogios George