Greece Archives - TravelGreece365

Greece removes PLF requirement for travelers

kordasspiros — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 08:51:32 +0000

Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced on Thursday 3 March that travelers visiting Greece will not be required to fill out a PLF form from March 15. Kikilias said the decision, approved by the country’s Covid-19 committee, makes travel easier to manage by refocusing efforts on vaccination status.

The Passenger Locator Form (PLF) was introduced at the height of the pandemic as a mandatory requirement to travel and enter Greece.

“As of March 15, 2022, the Travel Locator Form (PLF) by visitors from all countries for entry into Greece has been abolished, following the recommendation of the Ministry of Health’s Expert Committee. This simplifies entry procedures for travelers and shifts the focus to checking vaccination cards,” said Kikilias.

His announcement was made as part of an effort to simplify the Covid-19 rules and health protocol for travelers before the official opening for tourists this month. The minister mentioned that Greece is once again leading the way with revised tourism protocols.

“We are ready to welcome our visitors safely for another year,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Health Minister Thanos Plevris announced that starting Saturday 5 March, wearing masks outdoors will no longer be mandatory.

In addition, the Covid Committee recommended increasing the capacity of the tour bus to 100% from March 5th by using natural ventilation and masks. It should also be noted that Greek hotels with more than 50 rooms are obliged to work with a doctor or health center.

As per revised sanitation protocols:

Property owners must provide disposable gloves for housekeeping and kitchen staff
Customers will no longer be required to wear gloves at hotel buffets
Use mandatory disinfectant liquid
No longer need for tablecloths and steam-cleaning surfaces

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Tourism 2022: Return to the levels of 2019 and which destinations do tourists prefer

kordasspiros — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 14:01:07 +0000

The opening of this year’s tourist season is set by March 1 by the Ministry of Tourism and the data are already positive since, as stated by the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias, the reservations for the spring and summer of 2022 and until the end of autumn 2022, have begun to grow vertically from the beginning of the year.The CEO of TUI also appeared to be one of the winners of the health crisis. Electronic tour guides have also played an important role in this, having a significant increase in their traffic in the last two years. The overall promotion of the Greek tourist product that succeeds through these portals, helps the visitor to plan his trip by providing information about the sights and infrastructure of the country but also about the tourist businesses related to accommodation, catering and fun.

But what are the criteria for someone to be able to visit our country? The measures that came into force allow travelers with a European Digital Certificate COVID-19 to come without an arrival test, which helped a lot in bookings. In detail, notam predicts arrival in Greece without the obligation of a negative test for all passengers coming from the Member States of the European Union (EU) and the Schengen Agreement as well as from the 33 non-EU countries that have joined the COVID digital certification system -19 of the European Union. In addition, international passengers will be checked upon arrival, based on the procedure provided by the Passenger Locator Form. In case a positive test is found, it will be valid for 5 days of quarantine / isolation at home or in a suitable place of temporary residence indicated by the competent authorities. The temporary restriction starts from the day they are diagnosed as COVID-19 coronavirus positive.

This year, the most popular destinations for visitors to Greece are its islands, however, many will pass through Athens for a few days to be guided to its historic center.Rhodes seems to be the champion in the preferences of tourists while Conde Nast Traveler magazine has included Syros, Hydra, Paxos, Santorini, Milos, Kefalonia, Corfu, Ithaca, Patmos, Astypalea, Naxos , Sifnos, Mykonos, Folegandros, Tinos, Crete, Symi, Zakynthos, Skiathos and Lefkada in the best summer destinations in Greece.

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V. Kikilias in N.C.P.D.: Our goal is to make Greece accessible to all visitors

kordasspiros — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 10:47:09 +0000

It was decided to sign a cooperation protocol between the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities (N.C.P.D.) and the Ministry of Tourism to develop synergies aimed at ensuring access for people with disabilities and reduced mobility throughout the tourism chain. During today’s teleconference of the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias and the President of N.C.P.D. Ioannis Vardakastani.

Mr. Kikilias characterized the Government’s top priority as the formulation of a national strategy for Accessible Tourism, with the central goal of making Greece accessible to all its visitors.

He stressed that accessible tourism policies will upgrade our tourism product and extend the tourist season in the country.

As agreed, the protocol will focus on comprehensive accessibility information, the integration of a relevant educational unit in tourism schools of all levels, and the development of education and training programs for people with disabilities in tourism professions and support for their employment in the labor market.

Finally, it was decided to co-organize an international forum on Accessible Tourism that will take place annually in a different region of the country.

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