COVID-19 Restarting Travel & Tourism in Greece

Six ports in Greece will be open to cruise ships as of August 1, the Greek Tourism Ministry has announced.

The GNTO and AEGEAN have launched a new tourism campaign that promotes Greece’s destinations combined with the feelings they create to travelers.

The rules that must be followed on cruise ships in Greek ports, during the post-Covid-19 era, are expected to be officially announced this week.

The overall picture of Covid-19 cases from UK arrivals is not alarming, according to Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias.

The South Aegean Region has launched a new digital campaign to promote the Greek islands of the Cyclades and the Dodecanese to European source markets.

Between July 1-16, five Greek islands welcomed a total of 682 international flights and 89,560 travelers, according to data provided by the South Aegean Region.

Flight capacity for AEGEAN began to pick up gradually in June and July, paving the way for August, but is expected to remain significantly lower than usual.

Greece may have seen a rise in Covid-19 cases but, according to government officials, a second nationwide lockdown will not be imposed.

Citing a drop in bookings in Northern Greece, hoteliers are calling for a single unified Covid-19 approach that will not impact arrivals to the country.

Greek hoteliers are urging the government to implement mandatory Covid-19 testing 72 hours ahead of travel to all incoming tourists.

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority has updated a directive on passenger flights to Greece from Sweden, Turkey, Albania and North Macedonia.

Dutch tourism professionals confirmed their interest for Greece, during a networking event held by the GNTO in The Hague, Netherlands.

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest aviation group in Africa, has resumed flights between Addis Ababa and Athens.

Greece on July 15 opened its skies to the United Kingdom and is now allowing direct flights from the country.

The Lufthansa Group is now offering 152 weekly flights to popular destinations in Greece including Athens, Thessaloniki and the Greek islands.

Air France has launched a direct route connecting the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki with Paris in France with three flights per week.

Allowing direct flights from Sweden as of July 22 and resuming cruise travel in August are among the next steps of Greek tourism’s restart.

At the end of July and depending on epidemiological data, Greece will consider allowing the entry of travelers from the United States.

“British tourists are welcome in Greece,” Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis stated during an interview on UK television.

The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) has joined forces with Travel Channel International to promote the authentic experiences that Greece offers its visitors.