Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis recently said in an interview with the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini that he plans to visit the United States before Easter to rebuild the air links between the two countries. The minister said that his agenda will include meetings with representatives of major airlines operating intercontinental routes. 

The United States is considered an important third country market for Greece‘s tourism industry. In 2019, travel from the United States reached 1.18 million tourists, and travel income from Americans was approximately 1.2 billion euros. In 2020, due to restrictions and border closures caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the number of arrivals from the United States to Greece dropped by 91%.

Theoharis told Kathimerini: “We are contacting the US Embassy to confirm the vaccination CDC certificate issued by the US.” 

Greece will officially open to tourists on May 14. The road map opened by the Ministry of Tourism this year for the Greek tourism industry includes tourists who only carry a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test result. A random test for Covid-19 will also be conducted at the entrance of Greece through the EVA system. 

It should be noted that travel for Americans is becoming easier and easier because according to new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. citizens who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 do not need to be quarantined after domestic or international travel . 

All air travelers returning to the U.S., including U.S. citizens who have been fully vaccinated, must obtain a negative COVID19 test no more than 3 days before travel or documentation of recovery from COVID19 in the past 3 months before they board a flight to the United States. 

The CDC also recommends that travelers be tested for COVID19 three to five days after returning to the United States.