As the summer approaches there is a key question on many people’s minds: “When will I be able to travel Greece again?”
In this article we will seek to provide the most up-date-information about the situation in Greece and developments regarding tourism and international travel to the country. As the situation is likely to remain fluid for the coming weeks, we will be regularly updating this article with the latest developments.
When will tourism resume in Greece?
The Greek government has announced that the tourism period will begin on June 15 in Greece, when seasonal hotels will be allowed to open their doors again. Free travel to the islands will also be permitted (perhaps even earlier), thus allowing domestic tourism to fully resume.
As for international tourism, in a May 20 address, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed that international flights will gradually resume to tourist destinations in Greece from July 1.
At least initially, the reopening of Greece to international tourism will concern tourists from EU member states and the Schengen Area, as well as other individual countries with which agreements have been reached, such as Israel.
Open but with new measures
It will, of course, not be business entirely as usual in the Greek islands and other holiday destinations this summer. Everything from hotels, restaurants and open-air cinemas to flights and ferry boats will operate under new rules to allow for social distancing.
Covid-19 tests will not be required for all travelers coming to Greece. However some air travelers will be subject to sampling tests by health officials.
Many businesses including hotels, open-air cinemas, beach clubs, restaurants etc. will operate at lower capacity to prevent overcrowding. This may affect the cost of some services as businesses seek to offset the lost income.
However these will be dampened by tax cuts and economic measures designed to support the tourism industry and employment. These include lowering the VAT in public transport fares, open-air cinema ticket prices and coffee and non-alcoholic beverages to 13 percent from 24 percent from June 1 until October 31.
What are the measures to contain the virus currently in effect in Greece?
As of May 4, the government began to loosen the lock down measures, with businesses reopening (with new rules to protect public health) and restrictions loosened on domestic travel.
Specifically:
May 4 – Small non-essential businesses including hair salons, bookstores, florists, etc are permitted to reopen (with the use of masks required for employees and customers, as well as other social distancing requirements). Citizens are allowed to move about freely, but only within their prefecture of residence. Churches are also allowed to reopen but only for individual worship – the numbers of worshipers must be limited and services are prohibited.
May 11 – Remaining retail shops are permitted to open, following the above social distancing rules. High schools reopen for senior students sitting national exams this summer.
May 16 – Beach clubs are allowed to open, however with new rules for their operation. The public can also make use of free beaches and coastline, although are advised to respect social distancing guidelines.
May 17-18 – Archaeological sites are reopened, as are zoos and botanical gardens, although performances and congregations remain banned. Refreshment and snack bars are scheduled to open on May 25. High schools reopen for all students. Churches are allowed to resume services (with new rules limiting the number of worshipers). Citizens are able to travel freely on the mainland (as opposed to being restricted to their prefectures) by car, train and domestic flights. Travel is also freely permitted to Evia and Crete. However travel to all other islands remains restricted to residents and workers.
June 1 – Cafés and restaurants are allowed to reopen for sit-in dining (throughout the crisis they have been able to remain open but only for takeaway and delivery). However diners will be restricted to outdoor seating areas and new social distancing rules will apply (2 meters between tables and up to 4 people per table). Malls also reopen. Open air cinemas will open with max capacity reduced to 40%. Hotels that operate year-round (as opposed to seasonal hotels) will also be allowed to reopen (with new rules and guidelines).
June 15 – The tourism season begins with the resumption of domestic tourism. Seasonal hotels reopen, and citizens are citizens will likely be permitted to travel freely to the islands. Seasonal hotels will also reopen from June 15. Museums will also open with new limits for visitor limits.
Note that all of the above dates are subject to change, depending on the course of the epidemic in the country. Any potential resurgence of the virus will lead to delays and possibly reversals of the above measures.
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