Greece To Announce Selective Lift Of Foreign Arrivals Ban In 2 Weeks - Travel Company

Greece is poised to reopen borders to arrivals from Russia and several other countries, with the announcement of details and timetables expected within the next two weeks, Tez Tour Greece CEO Dimitris Charitidis told Sputnik on Thursday

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2021) Greece is poised to reopen borders to arrivals from Russia and several other countries, with the announcement of details and timetables expected within the next two weeks, Tez Tour Greece CEO Dimitris Charitidis told Sputnik on Thursday.

"According to the information from the Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organisation, the [Greek authorities] will announce the reopening of borders in the next 10 to 14 days. Naturally, Russia will be among the countries for which Greece will be open," Charitidis said.

With regard to arrivals from Russia, Charitidis said that "all the restrictions will likely be lifted before Easter, which is celebrated on May 2 this year.

"

When borders reopen, Greece will be letting in 500 Russian visitors per week, making the entry conditional upon either a proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test, according to the executive.

Greece does not want to wait until the reopening decision goes through at the European level, which is why it is discussing the lift of travel restrictions with Russia and other countries, such as Israel and the United Kingdom, bilaterally, Charitidis said.

In 2019, around 800,000 Russians visited Greece. Charitidis' expectation is that this number will reach at least 450,000 this year.