Halkidiki hoteliers ready to help guests pay for Covid tests
Hoteliers in the popular northern Greek holiday destination of Halkidiki are prepared to cover half of the cost of coronavirus tests taken by guests arriving from other countries, the head of their association said on Tuesday.
Grigoris Tasios, who also heads the Halkidiki Tourism Organization and the Panhellenic Hoteliers’ Federation, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that guests coming from abroad will be able to recoup half the money they paid for a Covid test prior to travel from the front desk of their hotel at check-in.
Tasios said the scheme was first introduced last summer as a way of encouraging visitors from neighboring Balkan countries who may have balked at the cost of having a test taken up to 72 hours before entering Greece. He said that Covid tests cost around 100 euros in some Balkan countries, a price tag that can be prohibitive for families hoping to enjoy the region’s pristine beaches and other attractions.
“We are also hoping to bolster the government’s way of thinking, which is to open the land borders to tourists, on the condition that public health is safeguarded,” he added.
Greece requires travelers coming from countries with a high viral load to present a negative Covid test at their point of entry.
