Tourism Plan / Covid-19 Recovery Strategy

Santorini did not publish any sustainable tourism plan, but Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis  first looked to Develop Tourism Strategy for Santorini in Oct 2019. According to Minister Theoharis, preserving the island’s unique landscape, tradition and production through coordinated actions is a key objective of that effort. For the goal to be achieved, according to the minister, everyone in Santorini – the government, municipalities, tourism bodies, regional authorities, businessmen and employees – must coordinate in a joint effort; to solve the total lack of development plans for villages, uncontrolled daily cruise passenger invasions, lack of adequate infrastructure, almost non-existent town planning enforcement and many other issues, However this strategy has not been published so far. 

Restrict entry of visitors, set up the procedure to visit Greece.

The Greek government has introduced health protocols and measures to ensure the safety of visitors,  must comply by all hoteliers, tour operators, restaurants, cafes, etc. all the visitor will be required to have a negative molecular test result (PCR) for COVID-19, only travellers who carry a certificate of a negative RT-PCR test result will be allowed by the border authorities to enter the country.  Visitors must do the test 72 hours before their entry to Greece. If any tourists are infected during this period, the Greek state will cover expenses related to the hospitalization of visitors suffering from Covid-19 symptoms.

Keep things moving.

For destinations in the tourism industry that rely on 90% of their income, the impact of Covid lock-in has been very significant. On Santorini, the prolonged blockade was a blow, so the Santorini recently started opening its hotels and restaurants all year round, offering employment to staff, and supporting the local community that is wholly dependent on tourism. The island will be welcoming international visitors via airplane once again from July 1, but cautions over the coronavirus mean their numbers will be far fewer than before and the cruise ships won’t be returning any time soon. All the shops and restaurants open, mandatory government regulations each table must have 2 meters distance between them and limit the number of customers entering the store. And all the beaches in Santorini are open.

 

 

 

Reference:

Santorini and COVID-19: Stay Safe While On Vacation! – Santorini View. (2020). Retrieved 1 December 2020, from https://www.santorini-view.com/santorini-covid19/