HATTA: Turkish Travel Agencies Are Operating Illegally In Greece

HATTA President Yiorgos Telonis

Turkish travel agencies are operating illegally in Greece, travel agents from all over Greece were informed by the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies (HATTA) at a briefing held during the 29th Philoxenia exhibition in Thessaloniki.

According to HATTA, many Turkish travel agencies are violating tourism legislation and have made their appearance in Northern Greece and on the islands of the Eastern Aegean.

The Greek Tourism Ministry has clarified the rights of third-country travel agencies and under what conditions they can operate in Greece.

HATTA announced that it would notify the Turkish State on the situation as well as its counterpart TURSAB (Association of Turkish Travel Agencies). HATTA signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with TURSAB last March to develop tourism between the two countries and remove disincentives in travel.

Also during the briefing, HATTA informed Greek travel agents in regards to the European Court’s positive decision for Greece on the special VAT scheme, the long-awaited draft Package Travel Directive, the new rules for urban transport and the new tax legislation.

The association also referred to the issue of school trips.