Israel, Greece Get Ready To Reopen
The visit of Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakisis to Israel earlier this week marked a significant massage regarding the re-opening of international borders and flights between the two countries.
On Aug. 1, Israel and Greece aim to restart tourism between the countries without a quarantine requirement.
Israel’s outbound market to Greece is about one million tourists each year. As such, and as tourism accounts for over 25% of Greece’s GDP in which 90% is from inbound travel, it is crucial to make sure that the travel between the countries restart as soon as possible.
Gal Hana, Israel’s Consul of Tourism to Canada observed: “Israel managed the pandemic carefully and we are taking every precaution to guarantee tourists’ safety. Israel and Greece agreement in opening the international borders, is the first step in restarting Israel’s tourism economy. We hope that soon we will be able to welcome Canadians again to the iconic Holy Land sites, any one of Tel Aviv’s wonderful beaches, or just enjoy the vibrant food market scene.”
Israel’s Minister of Tourism, Assaf Zamir said, “We welcome the setting of a date for reopening air routes and resuming tourism between the Greece and Israel. This is an important development for the citizens of the two countries and a critical step in restoring the travel industry and the recovery of the economy from the crisis it is facing.”
Israel remains cautious about the protocols being put in place to safeguard its population during the Covid19 pandemic, and was first to tightly close its borders, shut down airports to any flights. Israel has started the process with the successfully launch of its domestic travel and now ready for gradually welcoming international tourists. The cautious return to domestic travel and now the step by step reopening of International “borders” activity will be subject to several measurable health and safety factors formulated together with the Ministry of Health, for operating airports, hotels and other modes of accommodations using strict procedures.
In the photo:
From left to right: Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakisis with Israeli Minister of Tourism, Assaf Zamir.
