A woman wearing a protective face mask stands with to her luggage as passengers from Germany and Switzerland arrive at the Heraklion airport, during the country's official tourism season opening, on the island of Crete May 15, 2021. — Reuters picATHENS, May 16 — Greece formally opened to visitors on Saturday, kicking off a summer season it hopes will resurrect its vital tourism industry battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I feel really alive and good because it has been such a hard and long year because of Covid,” said Victoria Sanchez, a 22-year-old student on holiday from the Czech Republic.As of Saturday, foreign tourists will be allowed in Greece if they have been vaccinated or can show negative Covid-19 test results. Travel between regions, including to the islands, will also be allowed for those with negative tests or vaccinations.
Greece has been rolling out vaccines to its islands and hopes to vaccinate most of them by the end of June. The government says vaccines and rapid testing, as well as warmer weather allowing outdoor activities, mean visitors can travel safely. Greeks also welcomed the lifting of lockdown measures, with scores of people leaving for the islands or holiday homes on the mainland on Saturday.