Summer has arrived but luxury yachts anchored in deep-water ports are sparse, elite parties have yet to begin, music festivals are banned, bars remain closed. However, behind that bleak landscape is a whole plan to revive the tourism industry that has begun to spread across the island. In the labyrinthine alleys of the main town, street painters are painstakingly painting the walls. They hope that in the next few weeks or months, their work will be flooded with check-in photos on Instagram. Greece is launching a campaign called Blue Freedom on 80 islands with the desire to rebuild the smokeless industry amid the pandemic. The campaign started with a plan to vaccinate against Covid-19 for all people on the islands. Mykonos struggles to revive tourism. “Heaven” hides Greece’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery plans rely heavily on the tourism industry. This industry accounts for 18% of the economy and provides one-fifth of job opportunities for workers. Tourism also helped Greeks get out of a 10-year financial crisis that ended just before the outbreak of Covid-19. Last year, the country welcomed less than a third of 2019’s tourist arrivals, according to the UNWTO World Tourism Organization. Mykonos belongs to the Cyclades group of islands and is the most famous destination in Greece. Before the pandemic, this place was known as a “party paradise” for the super rich and famous. From former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to female stars such as Grace Kelly (USA), Brigitte Bardot (France), Sophia Loren (Italy)… all have visited Mykonos. Mayor Konstantinos Koukas said: “The people of Mykonos were shocked when the number of tourists dropped sharply last year. But this year there are signs that the number of visitors may double compared to 2020.” Before the pandemic, the island of Mykonos was famous for its bustling nightlife. Compared to some other Mediterranean countries that also depend on tourism, Greece is said to be working hard to revive the smokeless industry. At the beginning of April, as the world faced a new wave of epidemics, the country reopened to most tourists. It is the second EU country, after Croatia, to allow Americans to come in without quarantine. According to the CNN , Americans are the most generous travelers in the Mediterranean country. The US ambassador to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt, recently praised the “record nine direct flights per day by US airlines to Greece this summer”. With dozens of fully vaccinated islands and long coastlines, Greece promises to become a “shelter paradise” in the middle of the epidemic season. However, things in Mykonos seem more complicated. This party island is unlike any other idyllic destination. Mykonos’ brand and sales are shaped by its bustling nightlife, a business that’s not easy to bounce back from during the pandemic. Magic formula Although the US State Department recently added Greece to its long list of “Level 4: Do Not Travel” countries, the promise of a Covid-19-free Mykonos has attracted the interest of travelers worldwide. demand, especially from the US. Iraklis Zisimopoulos, CEO of the Semeli Hospitality Group hotel, restaurant and bar chain on the island, said his company has received a lot of inquiries and booking requests recently. “The two main questions are the vaccination plan and whether tourists will be able to party on the island like they used to. We told them that in July things will probably be back to normal as they were. There’s never been a pandemic.” Zisimopoulos describes the vaccine as a “miracle recipe for a return to nightlife”. Greece hopes a nationwide vaccination plan will help revive Mykonos. Global reopening plans remain flexible, depending on the policies of each country. The new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is a constant worry. Some countries continue to ban their citizens from traveling abroad. Travelers may be forced to quarantine after returning home. However, in Mykonos, the first large yachts of this summer have arrived. At the trendy Alemagou Beach bar, German booze is ready again. After months of lockdown, a visitor from Hamburg (Germany) said that she and her friends were finally reunited in Mykonos and it felt like a dream. “Last year, we were not vaccinated. But this year, we became the first to get vaccinated and travel. We want to show people that they can have a good time and be safe here,” she said.

People eat at a restaurant in Athens, Greece on May 30, 2020. (Photo: THX/VNA) Greece officially began reopening to tourists on May 15, aiming to kick off summer tourism in the hope of revitalizing the “smokeless” industry after being severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. 19 in the last year. After months of lockdown, Greece this week will also reopen its museums, including the Acropolis museum, which displays famous sculptures from Greek antiquity. After officially reopening, foreign tourists will be allowed to visit Greece if they have received the COVID-19 vaccine or tested negative for COVID-19. Travel between regions, including islands, will also be allowed for those who test negative or have been vaccinated. COVID-19 . Greece deploys vaccination against COVID-19 and hopes to vaccinate vaccines for most of the people here by the end of June. With the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccinations and rapid testing, as well as warmer weather for outdoor activities, tourists can travel and relax safely in the country, the Greek government said. this country. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic causing international tourism to slow down in 2020, the Greek tourism industry experienced its worst year ever, receiving only 7 million visitors compared to a record number. record 33 million visitors in 2019. Tourism revenue fell to 4 billion euros ($4.9 billion) in 2020, from 18 billion euros in 2019. Greece aims to recover this year’s tourism industry and reach 40% of 2019. .

Greece has deployed a vaccine against Covid-19 and hopes to vaccinate most of its people by the end of June. (Source: Travel Blog) After months of lockdown, Greece this week will also reopen its museums, including the Acropolis museum, which displays famous sculptures from Greek antiquity. After officially reopening, foreign tourists will be allowed to visit Greece if they have had the Covid-19 vaccine or tested negative for Covid-19. Travel between regions, including islands, will also be allowed for those who test negative or have had a Covid-19 vaccine. Greece has deployed a vaccine against Covid-19 and hopes to vaccinate most of its people by the end of June. The Greek government said that with the implementation of Covid-19 vaccination and rapid testing as well as warmer weather for outdoor activities, tourists can travel and relax safely in the land. this country. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic causing international tourism to slow down in 2020, the Greek tourism industry experienced its worst year ever, receiving only 7 million visitors compared to a record number. record 33 million visitors in 2019. Tourism revenue fell to 4 billion euros ($4.9 billion) in 2020, from 18 billion euros in 2019. Greece aims to recover this year’s tourism industry and reach 40% of 2019. (according to Reuters)

Tourists visit the Parthenon at the Acropolis archaeological site in Athens, Greece. (Source: Reuters) In order to attract tourists back to the beautiful islands, Greece has sent the country’s Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis 3 days to the UK to convince one of the biggest tourist markets of “ The land of myths .” According to the announcement of Greece, Minister Theoharis will meet with British Foreign Secretary Nigel Adams to discuss the tourism market in the context that Greece is gradually easing travel restrictions. It is expected that Mr. Theoharis will also work with British Airways, EasyJet and Jet2 – airlines that have regular flights to Greece. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, there were about 3.5 million British tourists on vacation in Greece and now the country wants to attract visitors from “The Land of the Mist”. blind” returns to the beautiful Greek islands in the coming months after gradually easing restrictions and blockade measures that have been imposed for months to combat the COVID-19 epidemic. Tourism contributes a quarter of the Greek government’s annual revenue, and Athens wants to convince tour operators that the country is safe to visit. Earlier, on May 10, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after talks with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, emphasized that Athens is one of the first capitals of the EU, along with Madrid, to support the idea of ​​a “vaccination certificate” to allow the resumption of tourism. Despite imposing a partial blockade since November 7 last year, Greece is still recording more than 1,500 cases COVID-19 /day, mainly in Athens, in which there are dozens of deaths and hospitals are always overloaded. In order to restart tourism, which has fallen into stagnation, since the beginning of April, the country has gradually reopened non-essential shops and cafes. On May 10, all schools were allowed to reopen after 6 months of closure. Under the new rules, students and teachers will have to self-test for the virus twice a week. Nearly a month ago, the 7-day quarantine rule was lifted for all visitors from the EU, the US, UK , Israel, Serbia, United Arab Emirates and some other countries. However, the UK has so far ranked Greece on the “amber travel list,” meaning Britons returning home from Greece must undergo at least five days of quarantine. At the highest level, the “travel red list” requires returnees to be isolated for 10 days.