Greece will open its doors to tourists from May. We welcome anyone who has tested positive for the virus, has been vaccinated, or has already contracted the disease. The Greek Minister of Tourism said this on Thursday.
The country relies heavily on tourism financially. In 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, tourism generated 18 billion euros in revenue for Greece. Last year that dropped to 4 billion euros.
The Greek economy, which has been creaking and creaking for years, contracted by more than 8 percent in 2020. A fifth of the economy depends on what vacationers spend there.
The Greek government has led the call in the European Union for a common digital passport for immunization. But the Greeks don’t want to wait for that. “People who have been vaccinated, tested negative or have recovered from the disease and have antibodies are welcome in Greece. We will welcome them, whether there is an agreement or not,” the minister said.
Last year, 7.4 million foreign tourists visited the Greek mainland or the Greek islands. A year ago it was still 31.3 million. The minister expects, “We will have a better year this year than last year.” But the reservations are not going in the right direction yet.
