According to an announcement, Regional governor of Eastern Macedonia–Thrace Georgios Pavlidis sent letters to the Greek ministries of Foreign Affairs, Public Order and Tourism, requesting the establishment of a visa issuance facilitation scheme, to attract Turkish citizens who are interested in visiting the region.

More specifically, Mr. Pavlidis has suggested the establishment of a 72-hour visa issuance scheme for Turkish citizens who wish to visit the Eastern Macedonia–Thrace region.

The regional governor believes that a visa issuance facilitation program would benefit greatly the region by making it an ideal getaway or weekend destination for the thousands of Turks who live within a small driving distance (2-3 hours) from the border.

According to Mr. Pavlidis, the issuance process of the regular visa is lengthy and problematic, discouraging Turkish visitors from visiting Greece.

It should be noted that the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is full of interesting archaeological sites, that add to its appeal as a cultural destination.

The remains of many ancient or Byzantine sites can still be seen at the inland of the region, including the organized archaeological site of Filippoi located at the northern part of Kavala, the sanctuary of Dionysus in Kali Vrysi (Drama), the Kalyva castle and the Macedonian tomb in Stavroupoli (NW of Xanthi) and the Macedonian tomb at Symbola (N of Komotini).