The signs for Greek tourism are ominous, despite the initially prevailing optimism. This is due to the fact that the development of the pandemic does not meet expectations, especially after the position of the UK, which prohibited its citizens from traveling abroad on vacation.
In a letter to the Ministers of Finance and Labor, the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) is sounding the alarm, stressing that “we are in mid-June and due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism has just resumed as our key markets such as the UK, Russia and Scandinavia remain closed. “
The actions of the ticket booking company TUI are also indicative, which, amid the reigning uncertainty, canceled tourist packages planned at least until the beginning of July. The decision came after Jet2 canceled all of its international and tourist flights before July 1 and Easyjet is redefining its route.
TUI’s decision also affected Greece, because, as the Greek newspaper reports yesterday, the canceled tourist packages that were closed until early July in nine destinations in Greece.
Specifically, according to the Daily Mail quoted by Travel Weekly, TUI canceled travel packages:
Until July 4 in: Greece – Crete (Chania), Kavala, Kefalonia, Mykonos, Preveza, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki – as well as in Aruba, Croatia, Cyprus, Italy, Jamaica, Malta, Spain – Continental Spain, Formentera , Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, La Palma and all planned vacations in “lakes and mountains” destinations. Until July 11 in Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey.
The company also canceled all travel packages, including third-party flights to Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and the UAE, until July 11.
It should be noted that the British market is the second most important for Greek tourism after Germany, as from here our country attracted 3.5 million travelers in 2019 and one million last year.
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