Greece has reopened to many overseas visitors, including
from the United States, jumping ahead of most of its European neighbors in
restarting tourism, even as the country’s hospitals remain full and more than
three-quarters of Greeks are still unvaccinated.
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It’s a big bet, but given the importance of tourism to the
Greek economy — the sector accounts for one quarter of the country’s workforce
and more than 20 percent of gross domestic product — the country’s leaders are
eager to roll out the welcome mat.
And although the US State Department recently added Greece
to its long list of countries with the designation “Level 4: Do Not Travel,”
Greek officials maintain that — with social distancing measures and testing
protocols, alongside the warming weather — tourism in the country will be safe,
for visitors and residents alike.
Pushing the timeline
In easing its border restrictions, Greece has jumped ahead
of a broader European Union reopening to tourists from outside the bloc, but
the country is not alone in pushing the timeline. Among European Union members,
Croatia and Cyprus have also already opened to vaccinated and COVID-negative tourists.
And French President Emmanuel Macron last week announced that if the country’s
epidemiological situation allows, the country will open June 9 to all non-EU
visitors, provided that they carry a “health passport,” details of which have
yet to be announced. Outside the EU but still within Europe, Iceland,
Montenegro, and Serbia have already taken steps to ease their border
restrictions.
“We welcome a common position” on restarting tourism in the
EU, Greece’s tourism minister, Harry Theoharis, said in an interview. “All
we’re saying is that this has to be forthcoming now. We cannot wait until
June.”
According to the current rules, visitors arriving from the
United States, the EU, Britain, South Korea, Australia and a handful of other
countries are now allowed quarantine-free entry into Greece, on the condition
that travelers provide proof of
COVID-19 vaccination or a negative PCR test
taken up to 72 hours before their arrival. Arriving visitors may also be
subject to random, obligatory rapid tests at the airport; anyone with a
positive result will be required, along with their traveling companions, to
quarantine at a Greek hotel for at least 10 days, at the expense of the Greek
government.
The new terms of entry were applied to tourists from the
United States and several other countries as of April 19; they are expected to
be extended to all visitors May 14.
“A lot of people are still in a ‘wait and see’ mode,” said
Chantel Kyriakopoulou-Beuvink, director of Natural Greece, a tour operator
based in Athens that works primarily with clients in the United States and
Europe. She noted that several bookings for May tours had been canceled,
although most clients had asked for their payments to be put toward future
trips. She added that reservations have already come through for summer and
fall tours, but many potential clients are still holding off on booking.
“They’re interested, but they’re still waiting for more
clarity,” she said.
They may not have too long to wait. The summer ferry
schedules to the Greek islands have recently been published — earlier than
usual, Kyriakopoulou-Beuvink noted. She added that the ferry services have
increased compared with last summer, and that the Sporades Islands — which
include Alonissos, Skiathos, and Skopelos — were particularly well served. All
ferry passengers will be required to complete a health-status questionnaire
before boarding, and occupancy will be kept to about half of the normal
numbers, although that limit may be adjusted as the public health situation
evolves.
Expect social distancing, masks, and sanitizer
On the ferries or otherwise, anyone who decides to make the
trip to Greece should expect to see plenty of public health measures in force.
Greece has been in various stages of lockdown since
November, with residents subject to a curfew and limits on movement within the
country. Shops, schools, and cultural institutions have been forced to close,
while restaurants and bars have been limited to takeout only.
The restrictions gutted the lively cafe culture in Athens,
where the past winter was even quieter than usual, said Georgia Nakou, a
political and economic analyst for media outlet MacroPolis. But compliance with
the rules has slackened as the weather has warmed, and many Greeks have begun
congregating in large numbers in the squares of central Athens. Everyone, it
seems, is ready for a break.
“People know that they’re going to be released, and they’re
already mentally partying,” Nakou said. While Greece’s lockdown restrictions
are due to be lifted by the time the country fully opens to tourists May 14,
visitors should still expect to encounter social distancing measures, the
country’s tourism minister said. Tables will be widely spaced at restaurants;
lounge chairs will be farther apart on the beach; masks may be obligatory on
some city streets; and hand sanitizer will be in plentiful supply.
Open-air archaeological sites such as the Acropolis in
Athens have already reopened to the public, with masks required of all
visitors. Museums, including the National Archaeological Museum and the
Acropolis Museum, will reopen May 15 with social distancing measures that are
still being determined, a spokeswoman from the tourism ministry said.
Hotels are also subject to public health protocols,
including weekly rapid testing of staff and mandatory mask wearing in
common-use areas. The minister stressed that all social distancing rules and
other public health measures will apply to visitors and residents alike.
Protecting Greek citizens from the coronavirus is a
priority, the tourism minister said, but so is shielding them from the
devastating effects of a prolonged economic decline. And last year’s plunge in
tourism numbers hit the country hard: The national economy shrank by 8.2% in
2020, making Greece among the worst-hit countries in Europe. The tourism sector
took the brunt of the blow: In 2020,
Greece’s revenue from foreign tourism fell
to a quarter of the more than 18 billion euros (nearly $22 billion) registered
the year before.
“The last year felt like a nuclear explosion in our
society,” said Kostas Tzilialis, co-owner of Locomotiva Cooperativa, a cafe and
bookshop in central Athens. Tzilialis, also a worker there, estimated that
before the pandemic, tourists accounted for up to 40 percent of daytime guests
at the cafe. The business has managed to survive the pandemic by offering
takeout service, processing online book orders and receiving some government
support — but it hasn’t been easy, he said, adding that many of his friends
have suffered severe financial and psychological problems over the past year.
On the reopening of tourism, he thought the government didn’t have a choice.
“Unfortunately, after more than 10 years of economic hardship, tourism and food
is our only industry,” Tzilialis said. “We don’t produce cars or machines. So
we have to open our industry right now. Let’s hope that people will be careful
and the vaccines will protect us.”
However many people end up traveling to
Greece this summer,
it’s clear that this year’s peak tourist season will be unlike any other.
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