(CNN) – Greece has raised quarantine requirements for vaccinated travelers and those who have been negative for Covid-19’s key tourism markets, including Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, in what officials called “baby steps.” on the road to normalcy.
But while qualified visitors will be able to check into hotels to enjoy the Greek sun and beaches, they will be subject to the same restrictions as locals, meaning restaurants and bars will stay out of bounds, except for meals. take away.
The move marks the first time the country has been open to U.S. visitors since March 2020, when Greece entered its first closure at the start of the pandemic.
It also makes Greece one of the first major European destinations to reopen to tourists before the summer season, a development that could see it steal a significant chunk of holiday traffic outside of rival focal points.
Under the new rules, arrivals from the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates who have been vaccinated or have a negative PCR test up to 72 hours before arrival may enter. .
Officials said rapid checks will be carried out at entry points and that quarantine hotels are ready to welcome those who test positive during the process. Security protocols, such as the use of masks and social distancing, will be maintained.
Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told CNN that the country “is taking these steps, the start of a gradual opening process that will lead to a full opening of tourism in Greece on May 14 “We will make adjustments in the coming weeks.”
“Slow start”
The island of Mykonos, shown here in May 2020, earned less than a third of its usual tourist revenue last year.
ARIS MESSINIS / AFP via Getty Images
In addition to Athens and the city of Thessaloniki on the east coast, direct international flights are now allowed in some of Greece’s most popular holiday destinations in Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu.
The tourism sector accounts for more than 20% of the country’s GDP and it is estimated that 25% of the Greek workforce exceeds one million jobs.
With its industry so dependent on the sector, and only gradually recovering from a financial crisis of nearly a decade, Athens has been campaigning vigorously for the introduction of vaccine passports to encourage travel across the EU. He has also been in talks with EU countries to try to establish travel corridors.
Israeli visitors giving negative evidence or with vaccination certificates have been exempt from forty-one weeks since early April, but officials say other restrictions are ongoing, in addition to a recent increase in Greek cases. , have discouraged everyone but a few.
Monday’s opening announcement welcomed the party’s popular island of Mykonos. Mayor Konstantinos Koukas has said that Covid’s 2020 season revenue was only 30% of the previous year.
Iraklis Zissimopoulos, CEO of the Semeli Hospitality Group, which includes hotels, bars and restaurants on the island, described the lifting of quarantine restrictions as a symbolic move.
“It sends the message that Greece is fulfilling its promise to open fully in May and as such is welcome,” he said. “We know it will be a slow start.”
“Protective shield”
Although Greece’s vaccination program is progressing at a modest pace (currently less than 10% of the population has received a dose), more restrictions are expected to be removed in the weeks leading up to May 14th.
From next month, once the most vulnerable groups have been vaccinated, they are expected to be the next to work in tourism.
But dozens of Greece’s smallest islands, with less than 1,000 inhabitants, are now free of covides, as the entire population has received both blows. Now the vaccination program is expanding to larger islands.
It is hoped that securing the islands will allow Greece to offer specific areas free of Covid.
“If all the locals are vaccinated in Mykonos, an island of about 10,000, we will have a protective shield,” says Zissimopoulos, who is also a cardiologist.
What is certain is that there is a hunger to travel.
Earlier this month, an experiment devised by travel industry experts saw about 200 Dutch participants flying to the island of Rhodes, and switched from home closure to a week of voluntary confinement at a spa.
They were not allowed to leave the resort during their stay and agreed to quarantine for up to 10 days upon returning home.
The “safe holiday” test attracted applications from more than 25,000 people in less than 24 hours, according to Martine Langerak, a spokeswoman for tour operator Sunweb, which organized the trip under the auspices of the Dutch government.
Special moments
Roxane Seewoester: “We hope they can come and celebrate their special moment with their loved ones.”
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“We were surprised by the demand. It shows what people want to go on vacation,” Langerak told CNN.
Despite Greece’s decision to open its borders, some countries such as the United Kingdom still have restrictions that prevent international travel, and the recent rise in infections in Greece means that quarantine rules may apply to holidaymakers when they return home.
Experts from the travel industry in Greece agree that it will start slowly, as bookings will start to run until July. This means that hundreds of thousands of tourism and related industry workers will have to wait to find out if and when they have jobs this summer.
Roxane Seewoester, a 25-year-old wedding organizer at Golden Apple Weddings in Rhodes, a destination that typically receives more than two million tourists annually, says most tourist weddings were canceled last year.
This summer they are being pushed back gradually.
“We work a lot with people from the United States and Australia,” he says. “It’s a long way to go. People need months to plan it. We hope they can come and celebrate their special moment with their loved ones and that we can all move on with our lives.”