Greece’s tourism minister on Thursday said the visitor season would officially start in March, earlier than previous years, and there were “positive signs” of a bumper summer ahead. In an interview with international news agency Reuters, Vassilis Kikiliaw said “there is great demand and great dynamic for Greek tourism in 2022.
He added that “big tour operators, big airline companies, want to prolong the period (from March through December).”
“There are strong signs for Greek tourism,” he told Reuters.
An earlier start means hotels that close over the winter months can reopen earlier and tour operators begin bringing in parties, he added.
The industry, which accounts for a fifth of the economy and one in five jobs, began to recover last year when a season that officially began in May delivered about 10.5 billion euros in revenues, far less than an all-time record in 2019.
Already Greece has eased travel restrictions imposed to combat the spread of COVID-19 and fully vaccinated visitors do not need a negative test to enter the country.
“Greece is open to everybody, from today. But the actual season, the summer season, is starting for us on March 1 this year,” Kikilias said.
“Yes, the pandemic is still here but we have weapons to fight it – vaccination, new drugs,” the minister underlined.
In a interview to Skai TV on Tuesday minister Kikilias said that the increase of pre-bookings in January rose by 30% when compared to 2019 especially from the UK and specifically for the islands of Crete, Rhodes and Kos..
The minister heralded that TUI will bring 3 million tourists, DER Touristik up to 1.2 million, while they ask for special deals for October, November and December 2022.
He stressed that “the strategy to extend the touristic period is realistic.”
Begining of the month the minister was optimistic that the first tourists will arrive on March 1 and it’s not coincidence that some restrictions especially in restaurants and entertainment are lifted on March 4, 2022.
So are the tourists going to wear a mask in all outside areas?
Are the tourists going to wear a N95 or double masks to go into a supermarket?
Are the tourists going to be fined if they are not wearing their masks correctly?
March is 10 days away, someone needs to make a decision, not just for the tourists but for all Greek people………., and make the decision quickly
Vaccinated have privileges…. Does the Minster forget that many people FULLY vaccinated people get Covid !!!!
The restrictions are not there to protect people, they are there to protect the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. Being fully vaccinated is less of a protection against the spread of the Omicron variant than it was against the earlier variants but it does still reduce the spread. More importantly being fully vaccinated does still provide good protection against being seriously ill even with the Omicron variant. That is why fully vaccinated people are less of a threat and hence why they are subject to fewer restrictions. It’s all about balance of risk.
Maybe I missed something in earlier articles (my apologies if that is the case). Which restrictions, especially in restaurants and entertainment sector, will be lifted on March 4?
click link maybe?
When I click the link, I see restrictions being lifted as of February 19, but I don’t see anything about March 4. So are there more relaxations communicated already for March 4?
yes, it’s those on Feb 19. correct.
How about the people who are NOT vaccinated????
I think Warwick expained the situation in a fair and balanced manner. It is reliant on the common sense of the individual, which may be a problem for many, and continuing to be aware of the dangers of complacency.
From my own experiences, bar owners and other business owners over the winter period have been vigilant in applying the ‘no certificate, no entry’ rules. There never will be a perfect solution but I think we have to recognise the need to get back to some kind of normality in our daily lives.
Cynicism does not help.