Greece wants to open to tourists in July – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis believes that the country can receive tourists from July 1, reports CNN.

With strict rules and early closure, the country has managed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. On May 8, Greece has a total of 148 dead and 2,678 infected.

Crown test before the trip

Opening up to tourists also means that the country is opening up to people who may be infected, but the prime minister has a proposal that can prevent the spread of the infection and at the same time allow people to travel.

Mitsotakis wants an international, or at least a European, standard for traveling. He proposes to evaluate tourists before the trip and that only those with a negative crown test can board the plane.

They have started the preparation

On Thursday, the Greek government decided that many of the major outdoor archaeological attractions, such as the Acropolis, are to open their doors starting May 18. Museums with collections inside have to wait a little longer, they will open on June 15.

Restaurants and cafes can welcome guests on June 1. And in late June, the first hotels will open, if infection rates remain low.

read: The EU wants to open the borders for the crown: tourism will not be like before

Preparations have already started on the holiday island of Santorini. Plexiglass “hammocks” are made to keep guests away from the beach. Furthermore, both restaurants, beach bars and hotels try to incorporate most of the hygiene measures.

Not everyone is equally enthusiastic about creative innovations, but they recognize that tourists need to return.

The hotel’s owner, Panagiotis Loutos, told Reuters news agency that it is ready to open in 10 days.

She has spent closed weeks doing maintenance and preparing routines to offer guests a contagious stay. But he is excited about how many dare or may come.

20% work in the tourism industry.

Greece is next to Italy, Spain and France, among the largest vacation countries in Europe.

Last year, 31 million tourists arrived in the country, increasing tourism revenue by 13 percent compared to the previous year, figures from the Greek central bank show.

A fifth of the country’s 11 million inhabitants work in the tourism industry. Hotels alone provide jobs for more than 200,000 people during the high season, according to the Greek Hotel Association.

Tourism represents 25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), that is, a quarter of all value creation in the country.

Due to the crown crisis, the Greek central bank is forecasting a 10 percent drop in GDP this year, writes the BBC.

At the same time, the central bank believes that government debt that is already skyrocketing increases by 196 percent of gross domestic product, because the government has had to raise large loans for financial aid packages.

About 19.9 percent of Greeks are expected to be out of work by the end of the year.

Therefore, most of the government’s efforts are supporting tourists.

A different vacation

Summer holidays in Greece will have some restrictions anyway.

Larger crowds may not gather in the same place, and the social distance rule will continue to apply. Therefore, crowded bars and smaller venues may have to close, says the prime minister.

– This summer’s tourist experience will likely be different from previous years, says Mitsotakis.

EU tourism ministers are now working to find a common solution for traveling in Europe, but it is demanding. The first guidelines will probably be available next week.

There will be new rules for everything, warns Harry Theoharis, Greece’s tourism minister.

– We must have new rules for hotels, new rules for beaches, new rules for pools, new rules for breakfast buffets, new rules for tour buses, Theoharis tells The Guardian.

Hotel staff will be evaluated regularly to protect and reassure guests and staff.

Health authorities have already urged residents to use mouthwash in public places. The call may also apply to tourists.

Today, all air passengers landing in Athens are being tested. The test response is received within 12 hours and all who arrive in the country must remain in quarantine for 14 days. Those who refuse to take the exam or quarantine should not enter.

Quarantine regulations will be difficult to pass if the country must accommodate tourists on vacation.

One possibility that is being discussed is special “transport corridors” for tourists, for example, from Athens to selected resorts. But this depends on the airlines starting again with almost normal flight patterns.

read:

Here’s how to make your flight a future: more expensive tickets and fewer destinations

I’m not sure about holidays in Greece for Norwegians

Although Greece wants tourists to return, there may still be obstacles in the way of those who dream of white beaches, a scorching sun and a blue sea.

Yesterday, the Norwegian government expanded the travel council, which appeared on March 14.

Not all trips that are not strictly necessary for all countries are still recommended.

The quarantine obligation still applies. This means that everyone who has been abroad must be quarantined when they return home. The quarantine time is now 10 days.

Although next week the health authorities will provide updated advice on vacation and leisure travel, which will apply from June 1, the guidelines for traveling abroad may not be affected.

Norway wants to coordinate the abolition of the right to quarantine and border control with the Nordic neighboring countries and the EU. When this happens is still uncertain.

Therefore, travel quarantine can last through the summer.

It can be expensive without insurance

European Travel Insurance asks Norwegians of holiday patients to lubricate with a little patience. They also follow the travel advice of the authorities.

– Travel insurance will not cover injuries, illnesses or other events that happen if you choose to travel. The same applies to cancellations, the company said in a press release.

The company emphasizes that it covers cancellations of trips purchased and paid for before the current travel tip arrived on March 14, regardless of the future travel date. This applies as long as the current travel advice is maintained.

For trips that were purchased after the arrival of the all-inclusive travel tip, or that are purchased in the future, the practice is therefore another.

– No one can say for sure what the travel opportunities will be like this summer, so you may want to have some ice in your stomach. If the Travel Council is canceled in whole or in part, the situation will be quite different from what it is now.

– But if you buy a trip and the travel council remains standing, you are also at risk, says communications advisor Andreas Bibow Handeland of European Travel Insurance, which is part of the If insurance company.