Applying a new way of doing things, Greece welcomes international visitors again

These days, a drone flies around Glyfada beach, a southern suburb of Athens, to monitor the distance between sunbeds and umbrellas, while hand sanitizer is placed right away. next to the shower and the lifeguard’s watchtower.

Tourists sunbathe along Glyfada beach, on the southern outskirts of Athens, Greece, on May 20 (Photo: THX). These days, a drone flies around Glyfada beach, a southern suburb of Athens, to monitor the distance between sunbeds and umbrellas, while hand sanitizer is placed right away. next to the shower and the lifeguard’s watchtower. Drawing lessons from last year’s Covid-19 outbreak, Greek authorities have reopened the country’s beaches since the beginning of the month using tried-and-tested safety procedures, new initiatives. and the newly obtained prestigious international certification for sea water cleanliness and top quality operational management. “We are pinning our hopes on tourism,” said Nikos Venieris, who runs a beach on the seaside suburb of Alimos, just outside Athens. Beach workers check the distance and sanitizer at the beach on the outskirts of Athens (Image: Reuters) Under current measures, beach managers like Venieris will have to keep a distance of at least 4 meters between two sun umbrellas, perform regular disinfection and Covid-19 testing for staff working at the beach. . According to an announcement by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (Greece’s oldest environmental NGO) this week, a total of 545 beaches, 16 marinas and six cruise ships in the The country has won the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2021, placing Greece in second place out of 49 candidates for the award. The Green Flag Award is presented annually by Copenhagen-based Environmental Education (Denmark) to sites that meet more than 30 stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria. close. The prestigious Blue Flag certification gives Greece more confidence to welcome international tourists back (Photo: THX) Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theohiris said proudly: “Every Blue Flag that flies over our shores, marinas and cruise ships is a testament to our integrated and high-quality services, while also contributes to the desire to bring tourism back to normal in every way. This year, once again, Greece has emerged as a destination for clean, healthy and safe beaches in the midst of this pandemic.” According to Angela Gerekou, President of the National Tourism Organization of Greece, the country is entering a new era of sustainable tourism, a new period of tourism development that adopts global principles of sustainable development. do the focus. Greece reopened to international tourism on May 14, with the expectation that the number of tourists and revenue will double from last year. Tourists began to return to Greece (Image: DW) The tourism industry has been a solid pillar of the Greek economy for decades, accounting for about a fifth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employing a fifth of the country’s workforce. The Greek tourism industry has gone through a dark period. The pandemic leaves Greece with just over six million visitors in 2020, generating modest revenue of more than four billion euros ($4.9 billion). While a year ago, according to the Central Bank of Greece, the Mediterranean country welcomed more than 33 million visitors, generating revenue of 18.2 billion euros. In an effort to reassure visitors that Greece is indeed a safe destination, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently launched Operation Green Freedom, a campaign to vaccinate all people against the Covid-19 vaccine. residents in the country’s islands – including the popular resorts of Crete, Rhode, Corfu and Santorini – from the beginning of June. “I want to send a clear message: Greece is open again,” Prime Minister Greek general said. The widespread vaccination in Europe, the new ways of the Greek tourism industry have yielded some positive early signs. Judging Greece will be the top destination for Germans this summer, German travel agency TUI, says there will be at least 120 flights to Greek destinations in May. TUI, Mr. Marek Andryszak, said: “Once the border opens, the popular hotels will quickly fill up with bookings.”