Greece is 'ready to welcome tourists,' says prime minister

From the emblematic island of Santorini, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday that Greece is ready to welcome tourists in complete safety after the coronavirus lockdown, whose impact will be significant.

“Greek tourism is back,” said Mitsotakis, two days before the reopening of the tourist season.

The return of tourists to Greece from around 30 countries by air, sea and land begins today.

“Everything is ready in terms of making sure we ensure the proper social-distancing guidelines,” said Mitsotakis, adding that safety and health is “our number one priority. We want visitors to feel safe. I am not interested in making Greece the number one destination in Europe. I am interested in making Greece the safest destination in Europe.”

Greece has been relatively unscathed by COVID-19 with just 183 deaths.