Greece plans to open borders for Russian tourists on May 14 or even in the beginning of May if the coronavirus incidence dynamics allows, Minister of Tourism Harry Theocharis said in an interview with Sputnik
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2021) Greece plans to open borders for Russian tourists on May 14 or even in the beginning of May if the coronavirus incidence dynamics allows, Minister of Tourism Harry Theocharis said in an interview with Sputnik.
"We take a risk when we make plans [to open borders] amid a changing situation, but we keep track of sanitary data. We say with confidence that we have plans to open the borders with Russia on May 14, we confirm this," Theocharis said.
The Greek authorities would be happy to open borders for Russians already in late April or early May, when many of them traditionally leave for vacation, the minister assured.
"We will try, but I do not want to make promises that we can fail to fulfill. Everything depends on the epidemiological situation ... Although I would really like to celebrate Easter on May 2 in our country with our Orthodox brothers, this is not something I can promise at the moment," Theocharis noted.
The minister announced that the current restrictions (limiting Russians' entry to Greece to 500 citizens weekly) should be canceled on May 14, as well as limitations related to the air traffic.
"For our part, we plan to allow Russian citizens' entry with no restrictions starting on May 14, including via other airport apart from Athens [International Airport]. There will also be a decision on charter flights," Theocharis said.
According to the minister, Athens and Moscow are engaged in dialogue on the start of the tourist season.
"We are firmly determined to open borders on May 14. I am confident that the Russian side will do everything possible to promote the growth in traveler flow," Theocharis continued.
The Greek minister revealed to Sputnik he has plans to visit Moscow in mid-April for negotiations. He also expressed the belief that this year's tourist season would be better than in 2020, and that prices for tour packages would not surge but there would be a tough competition for tourists between countries.
