"So far we have done very well in restarting Greek tourism. But under no circumstances should we be complacent. The battle may have been won, but not the raging war," Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis stated.
His comments were made on Tuesday during a conference organised by Patras newspaper 'Gnomi'.
"The crucial decisions taken by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis proved that our country moved immediately and quickly, as it should, having as a priority the safety of citizens and secondarily the economy," Theoharis said.
He added that "initially the economic downturn in Greece was much lower than the European average, thanks to the support provided by the Greek government to businesses and employees."
According to the Tourism Minister, "we must strike a balance between hospitality and safety. Unfortunately, no country has built a model that we consider to work perfectly."
Regarding the next stages that are planned for the opening of Greek tourism this summer, he announced that from July 22, Greece will most likely open up to Swedish tourists, while borders will also open for other countries with the use of the 72-hour PCR tests.
In relation to the promotional actions of the tourism ministry, Theoharis said that "the next steps of the ministry concern the promotion of Greece through advertising and joint advertising. We initially innovated with the world-class pioneering campaign 'Greece From Home', we are moving forward with 'Endless Greek Summer' and 'Destination Greece Health First' but also with advertising companies, tour operators, etc. Our goal is for these promotions not to stop after the period of high demand, but to continue even in winter. Our strategic goal, after all, is to extend the tourist season - if health conditions allow. A success will be to follow a 12-month tourism model."
