Tourism Minister speaking to AFP: Securing the health of tourists is a top priority

Athens is focusing this summer on the quality of the destination, "not on the number" of visitors, Minister of Tourism Haris Theocharis explained to the French Agency, defending the choice to vaccinate the population of the islands as a priority and citing  an approach based on "risk management" to avoid imported cases, which, however, does not preclude recourse to a new lockdown, if the situation so requires.

Question: What are your ambitions for the summer in terms of the number of tourists?

Harris Theocharis: The important thing for us last year was not the number of visitors and it is not this year either. The important thing is the quality of the Greek brand, to act in a way that everyone understands that we take health safety seriously, that we care about the well-being of people and that we do not open our borders without protocols. Last year the number of tourists decreased by 75% compared to 2019, this year it will be better, but we obviously know that 2021 will be just a stage in the years that it will take to reach the level of 2019 again.

We have established a highly digitized system (border arrivals) to avoid any problems. Last year we were the first country to implement digital traveler tracking forms, this year we managed to smooth and optimize this system, we believe that the process will have an even better flow.

Question: You have focused on vaccinations on the islands, but some have had to be restricted following outbreaks. Can you reassure tourists who planned to go there this summer and what they would have to fear from local restrictions?

Harris Theocharis: In more than a third of the islands, ie in 40, the entire population has already been vaccinated. In the other islands, the...