TOURISTS ARRIVE IN GREECE AFTER THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

Fortunately, hotels reopened in Greece, on  the 15th June 2020, after a three-month lockdown due to the Coronavirus disease

Four Seasons Astir Palace, Vouliagmeni  on the Athenian Riviera 

 A Halkidiki Hotel near Thessaloniki 

International flights will be able to land from abroad at the Athens International Airport and the Thessaloniki Airport as from yesterday, while direct international flights to tourist destinations in Greece will start from the 1st of July.

Athens Internationa Airport

Thessaloniki Airport

The reopening of Greece to international tourism will only concern countries that meet certain epidemiological tests with regard to COVID-19 where the spread of the coronavirus has been kept at a low level.  These are most of the countries of the European Union plus Switzerland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Iceland.

However, travellers from areas with relatively high incidents of COVID-19 will be subject to strict screening procedures.  This is decided largely by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's "blacklist" of airports located in areas of a high risk of transmission of COVID-19.  Therefore, travellers arriving from  EU airports considered safe, i.e. those that are not on the "blacklist", will only be subject to occasional tests on arrival.


In contrast, travellers coming from airports on the EASA affected list, or from Italy, Spain,  the Netherlands or Sweden will all be tested.  For this group of tourists, according to Greek authorities, "an overnight stay at designated hotels in Athens and Thessaloniki is necessary.  If the tests are negative they will be left free to go to their destinations.  Otherwise, a 14-day quarantine will be imposed".


But as Greece depends heavily on tourism, our government is eager to attract as many foreign visitors as possible, in order to able to invigorate the economy which is just coming out from a ferocious decade of a severe credit crunch.


Welcome to Greece this summer, dear Friends, and have a marvellous, an incredibly interesting and a thoroughly safe holiday!



(I sincerely thank ERT, SKAI TV Gr, BBC, and especially Kathimerini, Estia, The Guardian, Le Figaro, The London Times for the valuable information for this post.)

The Parthenon at Sunset