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Greece Hopes to Re-Open to Tourists on July 1
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With 20 percent of its GDP coming from tourism, Greece is banking on getting tourism back as soon as possible.
Fortunately, due to the country adopting a strict lockdown early on, Greece has been able to keep deaths from the coronavirus extremely low, with CNN reporting only 150 people in the country succumbed to the virus.
Greece is hoping to re-open its doors to tourists this summer, setting a tentative date of July 1.
In an interview with CNN, the Greek prime minister suggested tourism can return to the mediterranean nation – but with a few important changes.
“The tourism experience this summer may be slightly different from what you’ve had in previous years,” prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, told CNN. “Maybe no bars may be open, or no tight crowds, but you can still get a fantastic experience in Greece – provided that the global epidemic is on a downward path.”
The country is also screening all international travelers for COVID-19 upon arrival in Athens, with Mitsotakis hoping other countries, including all European nations, will adopt the same travel protocols.
“I would assume that people will be tested before they get on a plane, not after they arrive here,” Mitsotakis told CNN. “They can only get on the plane with a negative test, or with a positive antibody test.”
