A wet, hot Greek summer

ATHENS — Greeks are desperate for a holiday. Your holiday.

The country is gambling that Europeans will still want sun and sea after being in coronavirus lockdown for months and it wants people to know that it's about to reopen for business. But the big question is: Will anyone come?

“We are opening with our system even stronger, having reinforced our resources in the areas that will receive the bulk of tourists in order to be able to deal with every possible event,” Tourism Minister Harry Theocharis told POLITICO in an interview.

Theocharis said a summer break will be needed after the tough experience of the pandemic and Greece is prepared to offer it “without putting citizens and guests in danger.” And he doesn't want EU leaders to tell people to stay home. “At European level, this tactic and logic makes no sense. Europe should see itself as an entity.”

The Greek government last week announced that its tourism sector will gradually start to reopen from June 15, earlier than initially planned, and will not impose mandatory quarantine or tests (although random tests will be carried out). It also announced tax cuts to make holidays cheaper.

Critics say it's too risky to open again while people across Europe are still dying with Covid-19. The death toll in Greece stands at 175.

But for many Greeks, the tourism sector is so important that there's little choice. Tourism accounts for more than a fifth of Greece's economic output and provides employment for about one in four of the workforce, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. During peak periods, tourism accounts for up to 44 percent of employment, according to the Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation.

The country was just coming out of a decade-long recession when the pandemic struck, threatening to obliterate the gains made after three bailouts and crippling austerity measures. The European Commission expects Greece's economy will be the hardest hit by the pandemic and is set to contract by 9.7 percent in 2020, mainly because of its reliance on tourism.

Theocharis said those concerned about the risks have underestimated the steps that the government has taken, as the country will only open its borders to countries that get the green light from its leading epidemiologists and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Greece will ease restrictions on travelers from most locations around the world on June 15, excluding 35 countries listed as having "high risk of transmission" by EASA. Passengers from these countries — which include France, the U.K., the U.S., Spain, Italy, Belgium, India and South Africa — will still be subject to mandatory tests and quarantine measures on arrival.

“Fear is understandable, we have experienced it when we decided to reopen schools or other places, with people being afraid of an outbreak or a second wave. It hasn't happened. We take careful steps so that a second lockdown won't happen in the middle of the summer,” he said.

The country was initially considering requesting a negative Covid-19 test from visitors carried out up to 72 hours before they boarded a plane. Theocharis said there has been a change of plan as “Europe is improving a lot with all countries converging on each other and the risk falling.”

“Our health protocols are very strict," he said, adding that there will be a doctor "in every accommodation [with more than 50 beds] to make sure that tourists feel safe. We know that this year even a slight health issue will be linked with fear of coronavirus. This can easily ruin the holiday spirit, so the doctor is required for an extra sense of security.”

Nurses and doctors are being sent to the popular islands and will be given special training to deal with coronavirus-related emergencies, the minister said. And the islands will be split into categories — low, medium and high risk — depending on how easy it is to get access to health services.

Those working in the tourism sector are trying to prepare for this most unpredictable of seasons. Last year 34 million tourists headed to Greece, with Greeks accounting for just 10 percent of that number, according to data from Deloitte.

Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the country was “starting from scratch.”

“Whatever we gain will be a success. And we will do everything we can to get a bigger piece of a much smaller tourist pie,” he said.

Some islands, such as Kos, rely on mass tourism, with huge hotels usually packed with holidaymakers. Kos is also one of the frontline Aegean islands receiving flows of migrants and refugees, and in 2017 a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the island, killing two and causing extensive damage.

“The island welcomed 1.3 million visitors last year, it now has to adapt and convert its tourism model in a very short time and at a very risky and unpredictable period. It seems like a very difficult puzzle,” said George Segredos, who owns a beach bar in Agios Fokas, Kos. He had 15 employees last year, now he is working with two of them to prepare for reopening.

In April 2019, 7,148 people were hired to work in the tourism sector on Kos, according to Segredos, who is also general secretary of the local association of restaurant and cafe owners. In the same month this year, the number was six.

“It is a very volatile and risky year, we have no idea what lies ahead of us,” said Christos Ediaroglou, owner of the Saline beachside restaurant in Paros, an island in the Aegean. “There is some optimism because of the very good management we had as a country in coping with coronavirus and some of our regular customers from the U.S., Belgium, France already expressed interest in coming.”

He said that locals might be afraid of a fresh outbreak but reopening is a matter of survival.

“The islands haven’t really experienced the decade-long financial crisis, there has always been incoming tourism and money. This winter will be the most difficult.”

Many hoteliers have not decided yet whether they will open for business, as they might not be able to adapt to the cost of Covid-19 reality. Aside from their normal operating costs, they also have to deal with new hygiene rules, fewer tourists and a shorter season.

“What we are currently experiencing is an annoying wait. Will this request that we have made transform into arrivals?” said Grigoris Tasios, president of the Greek Federation of Hoteliers and owner of a 350-bed hotel in Sithonia, Halkidiki. “It will all depend on whether tourists will eventually be in a mood to visit and if, after they visit, Greece will remain coronavirus-free without the need for another lockdown.”

He said that hoteliers are negotiating with the labor ministry for changes in the regulations on hiring seasonal workers. Although there have been expressions of interest from tourists wanting to come from the Balkans by car, he hasn't decided whether to reopen his hotel.

Even those who do want to reopen are wondering what kind of tourist experience they will be able to offer. For example, it is not clear when and under which conditions nightclubs or small bars will reopen.

“Everything will be done a little differently. I think our guests themselves will have security as their first concern and the same goes for us in order to protect both locals and guests,” said Theocharis, the tourism minister.

For Michalis Petridis, owner of Domus beach club in Kalymnos, this could be the most catastrophic summer in the 30 years he has owned the club. Under the new rules he will be able to allow up to 100 people in his club at a time, compared to 300 in the past.

“What kind of entertainment will this be?" he said "It will feel like walking into a hospital to have fun."