Greece aims to restart tourism from 15 June
Following weeks of lockdown, Greece has started a phased reopening of services in the country, with the goal of having tourism beginning again by 15 June.
Greece’s handling of COVID-19 has been considered impressive, with early efforts to enforce a strict lockdown resulting in a much lower number of cases than other European countries. To date, the country has had approximately 170 deaths. This week, selected businesses such as hairdressers, florists and bookshops were given the go-ahead to reopen for the first time. With some progress being made in the flattening of curves, the country’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said that the tourism period will begin 15 June, with direct international flights expected to begin 1 July.
Minister for Tourism Harry Theocharis said that a list of nations that will be resuming flights to Greece is due to be announced by the end of May, with countries being chosen based on “epidemiological criteria”. This essentially means that countries with a similar number of cases and epidemiological landscape may be the first to be allowed in. It was also outlined that Athens will be the key to reviving travel “from the Balkans to the Baltic”.
According to Greek City Times, the Restart Tourism Plan will not require international visitors to self isolate for two weeks upon arrival or take a test before departing, but they may have to be tested once there if deemed necessary. Year round hotels and campsites are expected to open on 1 June, while all other accommodation including resorts and seasonal hotels will also open up on 15 June.
Talking to CNN last week, Mr Mitsotakis had said that travel would only be an option if deemed safe. At a European level he said that he would support travellers getting either an antibody or PCR test before they arrive in Greece, and highlighted that if indeed tourism is viable, travellers must be prepared for the fact that their experience will be very different. “More social distancing, maybe no bars open and no tight crowds, but you can still get a fantastic experience in Greece provided the global epidemic is on a downward path.”
Like many countries around the world, Greece’s recovering economy has been badly affected by the loss of tourism. However, Mr Mitsotakis was optimistic, telling CNN that he hoped the worst was behind the country.
This article was originally published on 7 May and updated on 22 May.
