Previous Story
Greece to Welcome Brits this Summer ‘With or Without’ a ‘Vaccine Passport’
Posted On 03 Mar 2021
Tag: Coronavirus, coronavirus Greece, Coronavirus measures Greece, coronavirus pandemic, coronavirus travel, Covid-19, Covid-19 measures, Covid-19 measures Greece, Covid-19 travel measures, Greece-UK tourism, Greece-UK travel, Harry Theoharis, health passport, health protocols Greece, tourism and travel, tourism and travel Greece, travel passports, vaccination passports
Photo source: Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA)
Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis invited British travelers to pack their bags and visit Greece quarantine-free this summer once non-essential travel is restored and EU borders re-open.
In his second interview to ITV News, Theoharis clarified again that all travelers are welcome to Greece this summer as long as they provide proof of vaccination in the form of digital a “travel passport” – currently under discussion in the EU – or with a negative PCR test result.
Greece’s ‘Green Pass’
During the interview, the Greek minister presented a sample of the vaccine certificate – the so-called ‘Green Pass’ – that will enable quarantine-free travel between Greece and Israel as of April, adding that he was confident a similar agreement would be reached with the UK as there was “political will” to do so.
The ‘Green Pass’ has three modes of identification: a QR code, a signature and a URL for verification.
“I’m sure the UK has something equivalent to automate,” Theoharis said.
He reiterated, however, that bilateral or multilateral deal aside, Greece would be open to both vaccinated and non-vaccinated travelers from the UK.
At the moment, non-essential international travel from England is not allowed and not expected to re-open until May 17 at the earliest. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the date is tentative and would be subject to review.
Britain is one of Greece’s key source markets with nearly 4 million tourists visiting each year and generating over 2 billion pounds for the Greek economy.
The vaccination proccess is very slow here in Greece. I agree that tourists should be allowed in the country if they have their vaccination certificate but not to people just with PCR tests. That’s what happened last year and our number of cases shot up to heights that our health system couldn’t control.The goverment is trying to vaccinate the population on the Greek islands to be ready for the tourist season. I personally don’t agree to open up borders until 60% of population in the country is vaccinated. It’s nice for you people to take your vacations but you have to consider the lives of the people who have been on strict lock down, closed up in their houses for over a year, have lost their jobs and are barely surviving and to put their lives in danger just because people can’t wait a little longer to take their vacations? Show a little humanity. Don’t put money over human lives.
It is a joke to allow non vaccinated tourists to enter. PCR text may not show up yet at the time of tacking it, that you are covid free, firstly, secondly what about a symptomatic people??
Let’s just let them all come in, who cares if we get locked up again afterwards! Totally ridiculous.
I am stranded in Greece but could get vaccine tomorrow in UK. How do I get a vaccine here without an Amka?
Just need TUI UK to stop cancelling some Airports to Rhodes, etc then! We lost 2 last year and now know that TUI have also cancelled our Rhodes flight this year too. 4 holidays . To our Rhodian hotel, that is an almost £8,000 LOSS of revenue, plus money we spend on upgrades at the hotel and on the island itself. Come on TUI, open up those flights again – please!
The Greek tourism minster should explain the advantages and disadvantages vaccinated and non-vaccinated tourists would face as soon as possible. I’m sure this lack of clarity prevents many people from booking their summer holidays in the country, which is a real shame. Just to say that the country welcomes both won’t cut it.
What about travelers from the United States? The minister announced all travelers are welcome as long as they have the digital travel passport. American have a government issued vaccination card. Will that suffice?
Jens, what “lack of clarity” are you talking about? He is as clear as it gets. Vaccinated people will only have to show their certificate on their phones and they are good to go, their advantage is that they won’t have to pay for a PCR test. Non-vaccinated people will be required to take (and pay for) a PCR test before traveling, which will obviously have to be negative. That’s the only difference. Other than that, there are no advantages or disadvantages at the destination, they are both exempt from quarantine.
Giannis I had my first vaccine, I was given a card (business) card with my name handwritten, date, and make of vaccine and batch number… That’s it nothing digital a flimsy bit of card the nurse said keep it to travel with, I’m thinking no one is going to accept it
Is there a plan to permit Americans to visit Greece?
This is excellent news, although we would both be fully vaccinated by the time we go to Crete. Just hope the uk government stick by the date of 17 May to open up foreign travel