Η Greece dreams of a tourist comeback in the summer», is the title of the response from Athens for the Editorial Network Germany, which notes that Greek hoteliers and entrepreneurs in the catering and tourism industry are hoping for more visitors this year. Particular reference is made to the already increased holiday bookings from Germany, but also to the Prime Minister's proposal Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the introduction a single European certificate of vaccination.
As the author points out, «everything is ready», first of all in the 14 regional airports modernised by Fraport and delivered them three months ahead of schedule. «Now, Greek airports, which previously had only basic facilities and were not very passenger-friendly, have become state-of-the-art, with modern facilities, more restaurants and new shopping opportunities. But will passengers come?;», the author asks, to mention particularly encouraging facts, such as the fact that in the German TUI η Crete is in first place in terms of bookings, surpassing even Mallorca. In addition, the Rhodes and the Kos are two more Greek islands that are among the five most popular destinations, while travel agencies in the Austria and in Switzerland also report increasing demand for destinations in Greece.
«Greece is starting the new season with the tailwind of last summer,» RND's Marek Adrishchak, managing director of TUI Germany. «Thanks to the low number of cases and the effective hygiene ideas, Greece was already the most popular foreign travel destination for Germans in 2020.», the article points out, while Mr. Adritsak estimates that the desire to travel, at the latest by the summer, will be great. «With the increase in vaccinations across Europe, confidence is growing that travel will soon be possible,» he says.
The response lists the restrictions and rules that apply in order to travel to Greece today and notes that the Greek travel industry has now written off the Easter tourist season.
Referring to Mitsotakis« proposal to introduce a European vaccination certificate and facilitate travel for its holders, the author stresses that the Prime Minister sees »a great need to make up for the shortage« in terms of holidays, after the restrictions of the last twelve months. "Many industry experts also expect a an explosion in travel once the number of cases has been reduced, after more people have been vaccinated and restrictions lifted», the author adds and mentions indicatively that the airline Aegean wants to connect more island destinations directly to airports in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
