Greece is planning to open to tourists this summer

By Samantha Rosen, The Points Guy

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There’s a light at the end of the tunnel — and it’s a sunset in Mykonos.

Greece, arguably one of the most popular summer vacation spots in the world, is planning on opening up the country to tourists come July, Reuters reports.

The country has been on lockdown since March 23 and is trying to save what’s left of the summer tourist season. Last year, it drew 34 million visitors who brought in over $19 billion in revenue, Reuters adds.

The government will ease lockdown restrictions on May 4, and hotels that operate throughout the year will be able to reopen on June 1.

Greece’s tourism minister, Harry Theocharis, told Reuters TV, “This season is not going to be like the other years, I would be a fool to believe that this could ever be the case. However, there is a lot that we can do to reopen the tourist economy, the flows.”

In an interview with BBC News, Theocharis added, “Now this cannot be with every source country, with every destination, but we have to try to open up with some countries … Europe is the most developed area in the world with regard to tourism [and] if the tourism sector is not restarted there can be no lasting economic restart.”

The country’s aggressive containment measures have paid off so far. There have only been 2,620 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 143 related deaths, according to data from WorldOMeters.

It should be noted that a Global Level 4 Health Advisory is still in effect for the U.S., advising U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. If things change and you do decide to book a trip to Greece this summer, be mindful of both hotel and airline cancellation and rebooking policies. Many airlines have shifted to temporarily allow travelers to book new flights now and cancel for a refund or travel credit later, often with the ability to make changes within the next year and even into 2021. You should also definitely consider protecting your trip with a travel insurance policy that allows you to cancel for any reason.