Greece eyes tourists to save its economy
Country reopens to foreign visitors, to lift all restrictions from July 1
In a crisp, white open-neck shirt with the deep yellows and oranges of the island sunset melting into the Aegean Sea behind him, Greece’s prime minister declared his country open for the summer.
“We’re ready to extend Greece’s legendary hospitality and welcome the world again,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday evening during a day trip to Santorini, the picture-postcard jewel in the crown of his country’s vital tourism industry.
“We feel we are taking an extremely calculated risk,” he said. “It’s not an option to do nothing.”
It marked a pivotal moment for Greece in the fight against the coronavirus, and one that other countries will be watching closely.
The land of azure waters, islands and breathtaking beaches has had a good crisis compared with rival summer destinations such as Spain and Italy. The government won international praise for its response to COVID-19,
locking down its population quickly and keeping deaths to below 200. But if the country has won the pandemic war, it needs to make sure it can monetize that success. With that comes a gamble on tourism, the lifeblood of the economy.
The plan is to sell Greece as a safe place for sunseekers. The country reopens on Monday to foreign visitors with the first scheduled international flights set to arrive in Athens and Thessaloniki, the biggest cities, although with varying rules of entry depending on the place of origin.
From July 1, all restrictions will be lifted, with some possible exceptions for certain countries. Flights will be allowed to resume to regional airports including on islands such as Santorini.
Along with Cyprus further east, nowhere in Europe depends so much on foreign vacationers packing resorts and dining on octopus, sea bream and grilled meats in seafront tavernas as Greece. The question is whether inviting an influx of visitors ends up triggering a second wave of the pandemic and another costly lockdown.
Maintaining social distancing and the compulsory wearing of masks on all forms of transport as well as new rules for the operating of hotels and restaurants are all part of the mix. Mitsotakis said his government had enough data to “feel comfortable about opening up to the world.” Even small islands have received testing equipment, he said.
Gkikas Magiorkinis, an adviser to the government on how to address the coronavirus outbreak, acknowledged the possibility of an increase in cases even if everyone were to be tested for the virus before arrival.
“We can’t ask people to stay in a glass jar,” said Magiorkinis, assistant professor of hygiene and epidemiology at the University of Athens. “Our job is to contain the risk. There is no other solution.”
While the financial fallout from coronavirus is international, Greece had only just emerged from its last economic meltdown. A decade-long crisis that saw the country need three bailouts and cost a quarter of its economic output. The danger is that the metrics start looking like the dark days again.
Tourism has been the very industry that’s helped sustain Greece. It accounts for around a fifth of the economy and more than a quarter of jobs.