Greece Hoping COVID-19 Vaccine Spurs Tourism Resurgence This Summer

Officials in Greece believe a strong rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations in key European destinations could cause a rebound for tourism this summer.

According to Reuters, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis revealed speedy vaccination drives in critical markets, such as England and Israel, could lead to a resurgence in visitors that would help offset some of the COVID-19-related losses.

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“Essentially we are dependent on the pace of vaccination in our main markets,” Mitsotakis told Reuters. “For example, Israel is a very important market for Greece and if 70 percent of the Israeli population is vaccinated by the end of March, it makes it easier to gradually start opening up to Israelis who have a real interest in traveling.”

Greece has formulated its standard vaccination certificate and is looking to other countries throughout the European Union to develop a universal electronic system that could be used for cross-border travel.

Mitsotakis said certificates would not be mandatory for visitors planning a trip to Greece this summer.

Before the coronavirus pandemic shut down travel, the tourism industry in Greece accounted for about 20 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), but revenue dropped from $21.6 billion to $4.8 billion.

“I am a realist but I am also cautiously optimistic that we will do much better than last year,” Mitsotakis continued. “Last year, we were at 20-25 percent of what we would have gotten in a regular year. If we were to get 50 percent of what a regular year would look like, it’s still going to be 100 percent better than last year.”