Edited by: TJVNews.com
Now that the world has turned the corner on the coronavirus pandemic that crippled world economies and claimed the lives of millions across the globe, it appears that the tourism industry is gearing up for a major comeback. In the hopes that tens of thousands of tourists who have been isolated in their homes for the last year or so, will be chomping at the bit to take international excursions, according to a New York Times report, Greece has reopened to many overseas visitors, including from the United States, jumping ahead of most of its European neighbors in restarting tourism, even as the country’s hospitals remain full and more than three-quarters of Greeks are still unvaccinated.
While it is fairly risky to swing open the tourism gates so quickly after the dissemination of the vaccine, the NY Times reports that tourism is pivotal to the success of the Greek economy. The report indicated the one-quarter of the workforce of the Eastern Mediterranean country is employed in the tourism sector and tourism accounts for more than 20 percent of the gross domestic product.
Greek governmental leaders are quite eager to roll out the welcome mat to tourists, even though the U.S. State Department recently added Greece to its long list of countries with the designation “Level 4: Do Not Travel.” As of April 20th, the State Department web site stated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Greece due to COVID-19, indicating a very high level of COVID-19 in the country.
“We believe the updated framework will help Americans make better-informed decisions about the safety of international travel,” said a State Department official. “We are closely monitoring health and safety conditions across the globe, and will continue to update our destination-specific information for U.S. travelers as conditions evolve.”
As a result of the update, some 8 out of 10 nations around the globe are classified as “Level 4: Do Not Travel.” More than 100 countries were recategorized Level 4, including popular destinations such as Canada, France, Mexico and the U.K.
The State Department’s advisories system is comprised of four color-coded levels: Level 1 (blue) – Exercise Normal Precautions; Level 2 (yellow) – Exercise Increased Caution; Level 3 (orange) – Reconsider Travel; and Level 4 (red). The latter is reserved for countries with a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks” and U.S. citizens are advised not to travel there or to leave as soon as it’s safe to.
Greek officials maintain that with social distancing measures and testing protocols, alongside the warming weather tourism in the country will be safe, for visitors and residents alike, as was reported by the New York Times.
Thus far, such European Union member countries as Croatia and Cyprus have already opened their borders to vaccinated and Covid-negative tourists, including from the United States, as was reported by the Times. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that if infection rates stay on the low side, the country will be open to non-European Union tourists if they have a “health passport” which would verify if they have been fully vaccinated against the virus.
Other countries that are now welcoming tourists from America are Iceland, Montenegro and Serbia as they too have already taken appropriate measures to ease their border restrictions.
Reuters reported that museums in Greece will reopen to visitors next week, a day before the official start of the tourism season on May 15, authorities said on Friday.
Venues such as Athens’ Acropolis museum, housing archaeological treasures found near the ancient citadel overlooking the city, have been closed since mid-November, when a second lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Reuters report.
Earlier this week, it allowed bars and restaurants to reopen earlier this week while organized beaches will opened on Saturday for the first time this year.
