Greece plans to restart tourism June 15, international flights may resume July 1

The Greek government will restart its tourism season on June 15 in a key boost to the economy after the virus lockdown, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said. International flights would resume on July 1, he added.

“The tourism period begins June 15, when seasonal hotels can reopen, and direct international flights to our tourist destinations will gradually begin July 1,” Mitsotakis said in a televised address on Wednesday.

With Greece suffering fewer than 170 Covid-19 deaths over two months into the pandemic, Mitsotakis said the prompt response to the virus would be a “passport of safety, credibility and health” to attract visitors, AFP reports. “We will win the economy war just as we won the health battle,” Mitsotakis said.

Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis said a list of nations resuming flights to Greece would be announced by the end of May, and Athens would focus on reviving a travel front “from the Balkans to the Baltic.” Bulgarians and northern Europeans including Germans will be among the first visitors, the minister said, in addition to Israelis and Cypriots.