Summer Comeback? Greece Wants Tourists Back From July

Greece, one of the world’s most-loved travel destinations, is looking to reopen to tourists from July as it hopes to restart a pillar of its economy that has been battered by coronavirus restrictions. KEY FACTS 1. Tourism accounts for up to 12% of Greece’s GDP, raking in $20 billion (18 billion euros) in 2019. 2. Greece went under lockdown on March 23 and is looking to lift restrictions from Monday, while hotels will be allowed to reopen on June 1, Reuters reports. 3. But the southeast European nation is unlikely to witness a busy summer season, as restrictions around movement due to coronavirus keep people away. 4. Greek tourism minister, Harry Theocharis, told Reuters: “This season is not going to be a season like the other years, I would be a fool to believe that this could ever be the case, however there is a lot that we can do in order to re-open the touristic economy, the touristic flows, and that way we will able to support a lot of those enterprises — the hotels, the travel agents.” 5. Greece has reported around 2,500 coronavirus cases and 139 deaths. BIG NUMBER Greece drew in 33 million tourists in 2018, with two-thirds of visitors coming from other EU countries, according to OECD data. KEY BACKGROUND Countries across Europe are starting to reveal their phased plans to ease lockdown, after weeks of businesses being shut, travel being restricted and people told to stay at home. As summer holiday season approaches, this includes plans to slowly reopen the bloc’s tourism sector, which accounts for one tenth of its economic output. But EU member states are understandably cautious about a return to travel, as Europe has seen the largest cluster of countries worst-hit by coronavirus.