Lesvos invests in pedal power, causes chain reaction in Greece

Lesvos has become a magnet for bicycle-riding Turkish holidaymakers this summer, and municipal authorities say large numbers of Turks have been traveling to the northeastern Aegean island specifically for this purpose over the past few months.

The sudden Turkish interest in cycling holidays on Lesvos, just across the water from Ayvalik, is no coincidence, but rather the product of a concerted effort to promote alternative tourism on the island. Lesvos Mayor Spyros Galanos has held several meetings with representatives of Turkish cycling associations based in Izmir and Edremit.

Overtures

The positive response to these overtures has prompted local authorities on Lesvos to move ahead with procedures to twin the municipality of Lesvos with that of Edremit. The latter is a town with a population of 130,000 that welcomes some 1.5 million...