ECONOMY

Hotels likely to open in three phases

Easter Week, May 15, end of June considered, decisions will depend on pandemic, origin of tourists

Hotels likely to open in three phases

With the summer season approaching – and the epidemiological picture allowing – hotels are on course to open in three phases: Easter Week, May 15 and the end of June. 

The phase that each hotel will open in will depend on the market from which it attracts customers – i.e. whether it is aimed at Greek or foreign travelers and whether the ban on travel between Greek regions will be lifted. 

However, ultimately the decisions will hinge on the course on the pandemic as well as resumption of international flights by airlines.

The final decisions by hoteliers have not yet been made, in anticipation of the rules that will be set by the countries from which Greece attracts visitors. More specifically, whether or not these countries will impose a quarantine on the return of their citizens, which is a major disincentive for travel.

The relevant British decisions are expected to be announced on Monday. The pivotal factor regarding how these countries deal with Greece will of course be the epidemiological picture.

The first tentative opening is set for the middle of Easter Week, on April 29, and will concern several large hotels that cater to a local clientele.

Examples include the Sani Hotel in Halkidiki, northern Greece and the Cape Sounio in Attica. 

Other hotels that will be open at Easter include year-round hotels like the Asteras Vouliagmeni.

Reservations can be made at these hotels as long as prospective clients are allowed to travel there from their residence (they will receive a message on their mobile phones confirming their reservation).

Some seasonal hotels are already open, such as one of the Mitsis Group on Rhodes and a Grecotel in Kyllini, in the Peloponnese. These host mostly Greeks but also foreign tourists following relevant bilateral agreements. Up to 10,000 Israelis and 4,000 Russians have already been allowed to visit weekly.

The second phase on May 15 will begin when Greece is expected to open to international travel. Based on what is currently in force, Greece will accept all certified vaccinated tourists and those with a recent negative test. This category clearly includes more hotels than the first wave, such as individual units and large groups on Crete and in the Dodecanese and the Cyclades.

The third phase, which will include the largest amount of hotels that will start operating is expected to start at the end of June.

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