Greece to lift quarantine rule for more travelers, Denmark to open borders from May 1 European Union countries formally agreed on Wednesday to launch COVID travel passes as a step towards reopening to tourism this summer and will negotiate details with the bloc’s lawmakers in May, two diplomatic sources said. This decision comes when many European countries are announcing reopening for summer travel in phased manner. Latest to take such decision are Greece and Denmark. The certificates would allow those vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19 or with negative test results to travel more easily in the EU, where restrictions on movement have weighed heavily on the travel and tourist industry for over a year. FILE PHOTO: A couple is seen next to rows of empty hammocks during the coronav...
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Greece is laying out the sunbeds and beach umbrellas as it prepares to reopen to tourists in May and resurrect an industry which suffered one of its worst years in decades because of the coronavirus pandemic. “All you need is Greece,” Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said this week in an address from the Acropolis museum, home to sculptures from Greek antiquity. The tourism sector accounts for about a fifth of Greece’s economy. FILE PHOTO: Workers install wooden corridors on a beach, a day before the official opening of beaches to the public following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Athens, Greece. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis As COVID-19 vaccination programmes get underway around the world, Greece is relying on its record in...
Read MorePeople who are vaccinated against COVID-19, have antibodies or test negative can travel to Greece this summer, Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said on Tuesday. Tourism is a major income earner for Greece, which has led calls for an EU-wide vaccination certificate to help unlock travel. The industry accounts for about a fifth of the Greek economy and employs one in five workers, but arrivals collapsed last year because of the pandemic. FILE PHOTO: Greek presidential guards, wearing protective face masks, perform their sentry duty in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Athens, Greece, March 3, 2021. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis Greece is aiming to kick off its vital summer season by mid-May, said Theocharis as he addre...
Read MoreGreek cruise lines hope a swifter vaccination rollout and the government’s proposed vaccine certificates scheme can help get ships out of the docks where they have been idling empty for the past year and back to sea for the vital summer season. With international travel now at a near-standstill, saving at least part of the summer season will be vital, said George Koumpenas, Chief Operating Officer for Celestyal Cruises, a medium-sized operator that offers trips to the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. Celestyal’s ships have been docked at the cruise terminal of Piraeus port in Athens since February last year and while it has sent crews home, daily maintenance fees just to keep the vessels operational run to 15,000 euros ($18,016.50). “It’s crucial for the company to get its v...
Read MoreGreece’s tourism sector is expected to recover next summer following a dramatic fall in revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, a senior industry official said on Tuesday. Tourism is the main driver of Greece’s economy, accounting for about 20% of its output and employing one in five workers. FILE PHOTO: The Parthenon temple is seen atop the Acropolis hill at dusk, in Athens, Greece, December 10, 2020. REUTERS/Vassilis Triandafyllou How the sector fares is crucial for the country which emerged from its third international bailout in 2018 after a decade-long debt crisis. Yannis Retsos, head of the country’s tourism confederation (SETE), said tourism revenues this year had reached 4 billion euros, down from 18 billion in 2019, due to global travel restrictions to con...
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