After months of lockdown and travel restrictions imposed in order to limit and contain the spread of COVID-19, Greece fully opened itself to the world – or at least to its fellow EU members – last week, on 1 July.
All paths lead to Greece’s beaches
In order to reboot the country’s tourism sector – a vital part of the Greek economy – national authorities reallowed travel not only via air through all the nation’s airports but also through its land borders with neighbouring Bulgaria (briefly) and via sea with other destinations.
Maritime travel might prove essential for Greece to fully make use of the opportunity that it has been afforded this summer season. Unlike other countries that are major tourist hotspots, Greece not only quickly put a lid on the initial coronavirus boom, but it also successfully managed the removal of lockdown restrictions without triggering a 2nd wave of the disease.
The government’s successful policies have now given them the opportunity to expand their efforts in attracting more and more tourists to Greece’s beaches – something that requires all manner of travel to be quick, easy and most importantly, safe.
Over the course of the past week, several ferry routes have resumed operations, connecting Greece to nearby Italy. The reallowing of maritime travel has given yet another frontier for Greek tourism-related businesses to conquer on their path towards recovering from the economic aftereffects of the pandemic.
The first route to reopen was the one connecting the two touristic hotspots of Brindisi and Igoumenitsa. Other ports on both sides of the sea followed suit, slowly but steadily increasing the inflow and outflow of tourists and travellers.
In order to ensure maximum safety, Greek port authorities have been implementing and enforcing the strictest of hygiene and social distancing measures possible. Such an approach would undoubtedly allow Greece to retain its spot as one of the safest destinations to travel to and to remain a tourist leader this summer.
Source: TheMayor.EU
