Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has forecast a strong rebound in tourism this summer.
According to Reuters, he said that speedy vaccination drives in key markets including Britain and Israel will pave the way for tourists to return despite the current industry gloom.
Tourism, which accounts for about 20% of the Greek economy and employs one in five workers, collapsed last year due to the covid-19 pandemic.
"I am a realist but I am also cautiously optimistic that we will do much better than last year," Mitsotakis told Reuters.
"Last year we were at 20-25% of what we would have gotten in a regular year. If we were to get 50% of what a regular year would look like, it's still going to be 100% better than last year."
It is recalled last month, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for the creation of an EU-wide Covid-19 vaccination certificate that will help restore safe travel that has been devastated by the pandemic. He also underlined that they would not be mandatory for visitors this summer.
"Essentially we are dependent on the pace of vaccination in our main markets," he said.
"For example, Israel is a very important market for Greece and if 70% 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 travelling."
*More on GCT: Greece proposes 3 measures to restart tourism
