Greece has enjoyed a reputation as one of the prime tourism destinations in the world. Greece continues to be a preferred tourism destination, but no statistics can predict how exactly this situation will be affected due to COVID-19, a pandemic that has struck the whole planet. Tourism industry is one of the key pillars of the country’s economy.

85% of the tourism movement takes place in May-October while the full months are July, August, and September which demonstrates intensively the seasonal characteristic of tourism in Greece. The government examines excessively the current circumstances and tries to develop a plan to limit the consequences in the tourism sector and economy in general.

One part of the plan they are building has to do with the so-called “health passports” that would give authorities a way to be aware of the health status of visitors entering the country by air, by boat or by car, as the Minister of Health referred to speaking on Greek TV (Skai channel). This approach is currently discussed in Europe with similar schemes to allow citizens to go on vacation safely during summer.

Moreover, the Minister added that the country’s tourism season will most likely be limited to three months this year, from July to September. In a meeting that was held virtually with the Tourism Ministers of the 27, the European Union Member States Greece has expressed the planning to welcome travelers who have tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies and are believed to be immune from the virus.

Many have questioned this tactic and its effectiveness due to the fact there is not sufficient evidence yet how the human body will react or if someone gets affected by the virus once that automatically means they cannot get affected twice. These are the matters discussed and examined constantly but the progress of the virus will demonstrate how the government will handle the overall situation in tourism.

For more information you can check out the official website of the Eu funded project HostVet.