A growing number of Turkish citizens are making regular, hours-long journeys across the border into Greece, not for a vacation, but to fill their shopping carts with everyday essentials. Faced with soaring food prices at home, many have found that a stronger Turkish lira—the result of new economic policies—has ironically made grocery shopping in the Eurozone a more affordable option than in their local supermarkets.
This burgeoning trend of “shopping tourism” was detailed in a recent report by Taylan Bilgic for Bloomberg, highlighting a significant reversal of economic fortunes at the border. Just a few years ago, it was Greeks who would cross into Turkey to take advantage of a weak lira. Today, Turkish tour companies are organizing one-day bus trips to Greek cities like Alexandroupolis, specifically for retail runs. According to Turkey's statistics agency, an unprecedented 6% of all Turks traveling abroad in the first nine months of the year were on a shopping trip, the highest share recorded since at least 2012.
The human-scale impact of this economic shift is palpable. Cihan Citak, a general manager from Istanbul, now drives four hours to Alexandroupolis almost every month. "The kind of olive oil they sell at €10 per liter, you can only buy at double the price in Turkey," he said. "On average, my shopping costs one-third of what it would at home." He describes seeing hundreds of fellow Turks in the aisles of Greek supermarkets, transforming the routine task of grocery buying into a cross-border phenomenon.
This exodus is driven by Turkey’s recent pivot toward more conventional economic management. Since mid-2023, under Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, the country has maintained elevated interest rates to combat rampant inflation. While this has helped strengthen the lira and slow the rate of food inflation, the cumulative effect of years of price hikes means the average grocery bill remains painfully high. TurkStat data shows the cost of a standard basket of food and non-alcoholic beverages has surged by 144% since Simsek took office. Consequently, items like minced beef, Gouda cheese, and even chocolate are significantly cheaper in Greece.
The situation has not gone unnoticed by tour operators or political figures. Travel agencies in Istanbul and Bursa now offer dedicated shopping tours for around €50. “People buy everything, including meat and cheese,” said Seckin Igneli, a partner at one such agency. Meanwhile, Turkey’s main opposition party has criticized the government, with leader Ozgur Ozel remarking that President Erdogan’s policies have forced Turks to travel abroad simply to stock their cupboards. For shoppers like Citak, the savings are worth the hassle, though he notes the return journey can be tedious.
“Passport check on the return trip took hours,” he said, “because there was such a long queue.”
Photo: Gemini AI