Mazi Travel Opens Greek Market to Turkey

Mazi Travel & Events CEO Theodoros Makris and his partnership with Visitaegean DMC along with Intra Tourism and its President Ertuğrul Karaoğlu have opened Greece, its islands, and the global tourism market to Turkey.

ISTANBUL - One of Turkey's most established agencies, 45-year-old Intra Tourism, has partnered with the Greece-based Visitaegean DMC agency and Mazi Travel & Events a DMC specialist in Greek Market for over 35 years, to make presentations to Turkish tour operators, effectively opening the doors to Greece and its islands.

The promotional meeting, held at the Marriott Hotel in Şişli, was attended by Intra Tourism President Ertuğrul Karaoğlu, his partner at Visitaegean DMC, Theodoros Makris, a 35-year tourism veteran, as well as Mrs Mata Chatzialexandrou, Senior Management M.I.C.E., Dina Garyfallou, Senior Sales Manager, Inbound Department and Katerina Karavotsi at Operations and Reservations in Visitaegean DMC. The event drew significant attention from many Turkish travel agencies.

At the meeting, Theodoros Makris announced that Aegean Airlines had initiated flights to Greek islands, stating, "We will not only serve guests coming from Turkey but also from other countries in the Greek market."

Ertuğrul Karaoğlu explained that they partnered with Visitaegean DMC, established 17 years ago by Selcan Türk, a Turkish citizen in Greece, about eight years ago. Karaoğlu recounted:
"I founded Intra Tourism in 1980 while I was still in university. Our primary focus has always been incoming tourism. For a time, we worked together at Visitaegean DMC. After Selcan retired and shifted to the real estate business, the company was left to me. After the pandemic, we merged with Thedoros Makris. Spain, Italy, and America became our main markets. When flight options increased, we decided to operate as a wholesaler in Turkey."

With the start of direct flights from Turkey to Greek islands, they activated Visitaegean DMC, intending to operate as a Destination Management Company (DMC).
"We combined our expertise to focus on incentive travel, business events, and MICE, Mr Makris said. Additionally, Mazi Travel & Events, with its own buses, provides Visitaegean DMC with flexibility in transfers."

THEODOROS MAKRIS: WE HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND EXPERIENCE

Theodoros Makris of Visitaegean DMC stated that they decided to collaborate with Turkey last year, adding, "We see great potential in Turkey. At Visitaegean DMC, we prepare the best hotels, services, and packages for incentive tours. In the past period, we hosted tailor-made groups. We have the infrastructure and experience to meet the needs of groups coming from Turkey. Aegean Airlines now offers direct flights from Turkey to certain Greek islands. It's possible to reach the Greek islands with just a one-hour flight. We will not only serve Turkey but also agencies from other countries in the Greek market."