COVID-19 Restarting Travel & Tourism in Greece New Visit Greece App to Offer Whole New Experience to Tourists by Nikos Krinis 14 June 2020 written by Nikos Krinis 14 June 2020 63 comments Share 0FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 268 Tourists in Greece will soon have access to a new innovative app to assist them during their trip in the country by giving them personalized tips, as well as all they need to know about the Covid-19 health protection measures. Sponsored by Eurobank and Mastercard, the new Visit Greece app “offers unique innovations compared to any other travel app,” Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said on Sunday. Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis. Photo © GTP Presenting the new app to journalists during a press conference on Santorini, Theoharis said the new app is sure to upgrade the overall experience of visitors while they are in Greece. Features / services of the new app 1. Questionnaire to the traveler to provide personalized suggestions/offers. 2. Communication with travelers through push notifications (personalized messages/alerts that will pop up on users’ devices to deliver information and improve engagement) based on their profile. 3. Push notifications will be sent out in accordance to the area (geographical location in Greece) in which the traveler is every time. These alerts, which aim to promote local businesses that enrol in the platform) will provide travelers with tips on hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc.. 4. The VisitGreece app is connected with Mastercard Priceless Cities, a service that offers travelers exclusive experiences to Mastercard cardholders. 5. Greek tourism businesses will have access to the Visit Greece app so that they can manage their content themselves and adapt it according to their needs. “The Visit Greece application is multi-lingual and designed to offer all kinds of benefits to tourists and partner businesses,” the tourism minister said, adding that through the app, travellers will find information on all that interests them, specially tailored to their individual preferences. Special Covid-19 section Perhaps one of the most important features of the new app is its special Covid-19 section which has been added to boost the feeling of safety of visitors in Greece. Guests will find all they need to know about the Covid-19 health protection measures which need to be followed in the country. The special section will also include an interactive map with the nearest hospitals that deal with coronavirus cases. What’s in it for businesses? The Visit Greece app directly connects tourists with businesses. Tourism businesses that enroll in the new app – completely free of charge – will have the opportunity to be advertised all over the world. Through the app they will be able to promote their business, have easy and targeted communication with travelers and increase sales. “The Visit Greece app gives professionals the ability to create promotions and specifically target the preferences of their audience, through personalized push notifications,” the minister said, underlining that it contributes to the creation of a comprehensive CRM (Customer Relationship Management) data bank for all visitors. “As everyone understands, a database with the preferences of millions of tourists is valuable for upgrading all services in the industry and even our policy, at the institutional level,” Theoharis said. Mastercard Priceless Cities On her part, Aspa Palimeri, the Country Manager of Mastercard for Greece, Cyprus and Malta, said that Mastercard stands by Greek tourism’s restart. Mastercard Country Manager for Greece, Cyprus and Malta Aspa Palimeri. Photo © GTP “We are here to offer our know-how and also all the means at our disposal, so that through collaborations and partnerships we can create all the conditions for a successful restart, as well as to create a competitive and sustainable tourism product for our country in the future,” Palimeri said. Through the new Visit Greece app, Mastercard introduces Greece to the world through its Priceless Cities platform. Mastercard Priceless Cities gives cardholders the opportunity to get to know Greece through special unique experiences. The Visit Greece app is expected to launch by the end of the month and will initially be available in Greek and English. The app will gradually be available in other languages such as Chinese and Russian. The app has been designed and will be run by Warply, a cloud based mobile marketing toolbox. Join the 15,000+ travel executives who read our newsletter Follow GTP Headlines on Google News to keep up to date with all the latest on tourism and travel in Greece. Share 0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail Nikos Krinis Nikos is Greek-American born in New York, USA, and has lived in Greece for over 30 years. He is the managing editor of Greece's leading monthly travel and tourism guide, the Greek Travel Pages (GTP) since June 2008 and of news site GTP Headlines since its launch in September 2012. Nikos has also served as international press officer for the City of Athens and for the mayor. He has a degree in Mass Media and Communications, specializing in Journalism. Nikos is a native English speaker and speaks Greek fluently. previous post Διακοπές για 250.000 Έλληνες με το πρόγραμμα “Τουρισμός για Όλους” next post Attica Group Gets Three Honors at Loyalty Awards 2020 You may also like Greece’s Hotel Market Sees Major Investments Over Four Months 5 February 2025 Greek Tourism Ministry Monitors Santorini Situation as Seismic Activity Continues 5 February 2025 Global Air Passenger Demand Reaches Record High in 2024, IATA Reports 5 February 2025 Greek PM Reassures Public About Santorini’s Ongoing Seismic Activity 5 February 2025 Milos: Ministry Suspends 5-star Hotel Construction Near Sarakiniko Beach 5 February 2025 ELIME and HELMEPA Join Forces for Safer, More Sustainable Greek Ports 5 February 2025 63 comments Rene felber 23 August 2020 - 10:47 Wie lange dauert es bis mann die Bestätigung Mail bekommt? Reply Panos 19 July 2020 - 18:10 Dear GTP Team, We are residents in Dubai and decided to return back home. Myself and the two kids have Greek passports, my wife is from Philippines and has a valid Schengen Visa (Greek Family).Will her PLF/QR code be approved? Do we need to have any other document letter to show at the check in or in Greece? Please do let us know…. Reply Suzanne 14 July 2020 - 16:38 I filled my information to get the QR code too early (ie more than 72 hours before). I’m wondering if anyone else made this mistake and if it works to submit again. Reply janis 15 July 2020 - 12:54 I think it says “at least 24 hours”. You should be good. Reply Tony T 16 July 2020 - 14:38 Hi, I think is better to complete it within 24 hours of your flight time. The previous instruction was ‘at least 48 before’ which is not clear. Reply Barn 13 July 2020 - 22:43 The app is in the Play Store and soon it will arrive on the App Store Reply Rosina 13 July 2020 - 13:38 Hey everyone:). When u fill up the PLF form in the flight number section do you fill up your outbound journey or your inbound journey…then there is this option “internal” flight. Do they mean connecting flight? Internal means within the country, aka domestic. We called SAS they don’t know but they denied us boarding, we called the ministry for civil protection in Greece( the creators of the PLF online form) they said “we can’t interpret the document for you” u have to Understand it yourselves, we called passport control in Greece they said they don’t know anything about PLF or QR code? Anyone out there who has successfully traveled? All the people that have filled up the form fill up the inbound journey flight number( the last flight leading to Greece) … Reply Larry 13 July 2020 - 22:56 Hi, you should fill up your inbound flight to Greece, the final flight that leads you there. The internal flight button says “internal connection flight” so yes this is the button for the connecting flights but I think that with the word internal they mean that you will connect with an other flight in a Greek airport (for example you land in Athens and then take an other flight to an island or somewhere else). Hope I helped 🙂 Reply Eva 15 July 2020 - 17:30 Something was wrong, can I start new? Reply Vicky Lloyd 14 July 2020 - 15:26 Trying to complete the PLF form. Now completed it 4 times and it says there’s a problem and to try again. Tried to find the app, it isn’t there……! HELP!! Reply Daniela 13 July 2020 - 13:31 Wo kann ich die App laden ? Reply Jürgen Kuhn 13 July 2020 - 12:50 app still missing Reply Fredrik 13 July 2020 - 12:05 Where in the app can I find the PLF? Reply Zack 13 July 2020 - 22:42 The app is in the Play Store and it will arrive on the App Store as soon as they approve it Reply Keith 12 July 2020 - 21:57 Just filled in the PLF forms for a family of 3 – not as simple as I feel it should be! Today is Sunday (12th) and we travel Uk to Athens on Friday (17th) Lets hope the QR codes arrive. Also looked for the mythical “Visit Greece App” that it say we should have, no sign of it on the Apple App store! Reply Claire 14 July 2020 - 21:10 Make sure you have a copy of the email confirmation saying you have submitted the plf, that way if it doesn’t arrive you can show this and they say they will give it to you at the airport on arrival. Reply Knut 11 July 2020 - 15:57 Cannot find any app in iOS. Tried also link to the passanger Locator form (https://travel.gov.gr) with result «403 Error». A bit stressful not beeing able to find anything or to register and time to departure is closing in. Anyone knows how to fix this?? Reply Seb 6 July 2020 - 19:03 Ok this is so bad .. Made a mistake on the departure date filling the form to request the QR code , I realized straight away the mistake , My flight is actually one day earlier , but it is impossible to amend the form, once sent Tried to submit a new one with the correct date , but the system keeps the original date, So I guess I won’t receive QR in time to board My flight , If that’s the case my tourist Money will go to Spain , Reply Tyler Kulfan 7 July 2020 - 14:14 The same thing happened to me 🙁 Please let me know if you find a solution!!! Reply audere 9 July 2020 - 16:19 bought airplane tickets well for family before this decision was tsken. no warning from easyJet on compulsory app . only a note, you may be tested. finally they refused our check in at the airport because I did not have the QR code. lost 3 nightd of paid booking for apartment. no apology . it is my responsibility to know it . like for TSA in the USA. except that with TSA airlines are very clear. not here. this measure turned in to a scam against passengers of easyjet and the likes to replenish their coffers and force you to book once again. meanwhile, bought tickets a second time, applied for qr code. did not yet receive anything at Les than 24h of departure . this is not serious . this measure turned into a burocratic nightmare . congrats Mr Mc Kinzey PM . Either you lock your country or not . don’t play it smart to turn us fool Reply Alexandros Cheilas 6 July 2020 - 17:48 No app in the greek appstore for ios…what is your plan with this app?will it be available or not?is there any photo of the app icon to see what we are looking for at least… Reply Margit 3 July 2020 - 10:02 Received the QR-Code 2 days before travelling. Reply Ross Garner 3 July 2020 - 09:41 No sign of the App today Reply Gabriel 5 July 2020 - 11:48 Type in google play “visitgreece” (one word) and look for the light blue logo written “Greece” in the middle (white letters). Reply Ralph 10 July 2020 - 16:20 Looking for the app on ios but can’t find it. Tried “visitgreece” and “visit greece” and found nothing. Any hints…? Thanks! Reply Murray Chick 10 July 2020 - 14:45 No sign of the app on App store. When is it coming? Reply Margit 3 July 2020 - 08:09 Receiveyd the QR-Code 2 days before travelling. Reply Niall 2 July 2020 - 20:19 When will this app be available on Google play? Reply Christin Schröder 4 July 2020 - 09:08 Wir haben das Formular auch ausgefüllt und 2 Tage später kam der QR Code per Mail (also 2 Tage vor Ablauf, wir fliegen heute Nachmittag). Diese App finde ich allerdings auch nicht. Ich denke sie wird erst Ende des Monats im Appstore sein. Das hatte ich irgendwo gelesen. VG Reply Maria 2 July 2020 - 19:32 Same problem no code since 4 days. Im shocked. No app, no help. Reply Zan 3 July 2020 - 18:40 The site says that you will get your code one day before your arrival. Reply Rosina 13 July 2020 - 10:54 I am traveling with my friend and two kids under 6 to Greece. We were denied boarding coz we didn’t have the QR code. SAS had sent Info emails to almost all the plane passengers but us and two more people. A woman had applied for PLF and would receive the code upon her landing there but they denied her boarding as well. We are stranded in a hotel for 5 days, with more exposure to corona. SAS client service officer extremely rude screaming at us at boarding gate. We were the once that lost a flight and we had to calm him down! The SAS voucher thing is a lie. They tried to give us back 15euro voucher for a 700 euro ticket!!! Reply Tasos 4 July 2020 - 23:34 If you scroll down in the App Store you will see the App. Its called Visit Greece. Reply Anna-Maria Lolou 2 July 2020 - 18:11 Hello everyone, I also filled out the form and the whole thing is now 2 days ago, I still have Friday until next week but I don’t understand what the qr code is getting. if someone has already received the code, please report it. I hope it all goes well for all of us! Reply Shawn 3 July 2020 - 18:41 The site clearly says that you will get your QR code one day before entering Greece. Reply Dirk 2 July 2020 - 17:39 Filled-in the PLF form on Tue 2/7/20. No QR code received and no iOS App found. Instead, the confirmation document of my submission states that I can refer to this very document using my Passport Number or National ID and that I can continue planning my trip to Greece. How reliable is this statement? At the same time, I am reading various newsletter articles that people are refused immigration to Greece because of missing QR codes. Plan to travel to Greece soon. Would therefore appreciate the settlement of this issue ASAP. Reply Antonis 2 July 2020 - 18:19 Filled the form 3 days ago and I received a meaningless email with out a unique reference number which I cannot reply.No contact details at the page.What I’m supposed to do now with out the code? Reply Danny 2 July 2020 - 22:15 The PLF site clearly says that you will receive your QR code 1 day before your scheduled arrival in Greece. “ Travellers will receive the PLF with the QR code one day before their scheduled arrival in Greece and will be notified via email. “ Reply Alex 8 July 2020 - 10:39 Hi there. I’ve received last evening PLF form email via Ryanair without time frame to fill it up before midnight. My flight is tomorrow and I could not complete the form as it should be 48h before the flight. What can I do ??? Reply Alex 2 July 2020 - 22:23 Hi, the travel organisation site marks that you should receive your QR code one day before your arrival. It’s the second bullet point on the travel.gov.gr Reply Nick 2 July 2020 - 22:26 “Travellers will receive the PLF with the QR code one day before their scheduled arrival in Greece and will be notified via email.” That’s what the site says. Reply Martin 2 July 2020 - 23:01 same at me, no QR code till yet Reply Xeen 3 July 2020 - 08:47 You will receive your QR code 1-2 days before border crossing. This info was added recently to PLF page. I recommend also check spam folder. My QR code ended there. Reply Nick 3 July 2020 - 18:43 You will get it one day before entering the country. That’s what the site says. Reply Kostas 2 July 2020 - 14:40 Same here: No QR-Code received. No App found. Guys, please… Reply Danny 2 July 2020 - 22:17 The official site says that: “ Travellers will receive the PLF with the QR code one day before their scheduled arrival in Greece and will be notified via email. “ Reply Xeen 3 July 2020 - 08:47 You will receive your QR code 1-2 days before border crossing. This info was added recently to PLF page. I recommend also check spam folder. My QR code ended there. Reply Tomas 2 July 2020 - 13:38 Hello, Filled-in the GTP form on Tue 30/6 and so far no QR receiced. When it shall arrive? I am flying in on this Sat and still no code received – only email – your request is being processed.. Thanks fpr reply. Tomas Reply Danny 2 July 2020 - 22:16 The site says “ Travellers will receive the PLF with the QR code one day before their scheduled arrival in Greece and will be notified via email. “ Reply John 2 July 2020 - 22:19 You will receive it one day before your scheduled arrival in Greece. That’s what the site says at least. Reply Nick 2 July 2020 - 22:25 “Travellers will receive the PLF with the QR code one day before their scheduled arrival in Greece and will be notified via email.” That’s what the site says. Reply Vero 2 July 2020 - 11:32 I cannot find the app in Google store Reply Χρήστος Karsten Schutte 29 June 2020 - 17:20 Hi everybody, I want to go to Greece in summer like the other 25 years before 🙂 Where can I download the “Visit Greece App”? There is no entry in the Google Play store for such an app. Can anyone please help me? Thanks a lot Χρήστος Reply maria ross 29 June 2020 - 17:15 I have ticket to go see my family for 9 July. Healthy, tested US citizen now. Praying I can come. App not available yet and so much conflicting information online. I’ll get tested before leaving. Hope EU does not ban all US citizens. That would be so wrong. They should do testing upon arrival like Greece did from day 1! God bless us all. Reply Alexandra Stan 29 June 2020 - 11:51 Cannot find the app. When will it be available, as I plan to travel to Greece starting July 1st? Thank you. Reply Cecilia apostol 19 June 2020 - 08:11 Hi I am Cecilia, I have a hard time understanding the situation of entering to Greece by Sea . My situation is: i am going to drive with my father & sister from holland to greece ( boat venice going to igoumenitsa on July 1st) The INFO I read from Helenic Republic MFA.gr is that travelling on SEA till june 30 is not allowed / prohibited for passengers & personal car.. according to MFA.gr ( as I understood) July 1st travellers on SEA ALLOWED. My exact question is: Are we allowed to pass thru borders MINOAN BOAT VENICE TO GREECE IGOUMENITSA??? because untill now greece doesnt allow ITALIAANS coming to greece ( as i heard) Please advice ??? ( the only reason i travel by car is because my sister is invalide and cannot travel on airplane.. So we will pass from holland , germany , Austria , Italy And Greece , corfu, Reply Cecilia apostol 28 June 2020 - 13:15 Hi! Hello again, June 19, 2020 i wrote a cooment as well as a question.. It seems that this gtp.gr app is not yet ready to receive any comments or question.. Goodluck,, then.. I was hoping to get some serious reply,, Regards, Reply GTP editing team 28 June 2020 - 23:46 Hello Cecilia. Please find the protocol for entering Greece by sea as it was recently released by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection: https://news.gtp.gr/2020/06/27/protocol-arrivals-greece-all-travelers-must-fill-out-passenger-locator-form/ For more detailed information, travelers are advised to contact the closest Greek Embassy or consulate prior to travel or consult directly with the airport or port. Kind regards. Reply Hanne 17 June 2020 - 22:34 Can’t find the app Reply GTP editing team 19 June 2020 - 07:26 Hello Hanne. The Visit Greece App is coming soon. An announcement will be made. For more info: https://news.gtp.gr/2020/06/14/new-visit-greece-app-to-offer-whole-new-experience-to-tourists/ Reply Dimitris 1 July 2020 - 15:19 Almost 3 weeks later, the app is still missing. Please define “soon”. The borders have opened, the app is needed now, not in the winter! Reply Dayne 17 June 2020 - 14:59 We travelled to Greece by car today from Bansko, Bulgaria and were denied entry. My friend’s spouse is a long-term Bulgarian resident and married to a Bulgarian/EU citizen. But because she holds a Russian passport, we were very rudely turned back, citing “third countries”. Reply Pierros Thomakos 16 June 2020 - 09:42 Lets restart and get organized… Reply Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ
