Like other tourist destinations in Greece, the island of Santorini, one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, has reopened to visitors since June 15. The island is surrounded by cliffs about 300m high that plunge straight into the sea.
The official opening tourist season has marked the end of three months of limiting the epidemic to slow down tourism, an industry that accounts for 1/4 of Greece's gross domestic product.
We are eagerly awaiting visitors, said Michalis Drosos, who works at a souvenir shop in Fira. In 2019, Greece recorded about 33 million tourists visiting the country.
Santorini Airport has not reopened international flights until July 1. However, tourists from about 30 countries can take flights to Thessaloniki and Athens to get to the island.
About 30 international flights landed at Greece International Airport on June 15, including five flights from Germany - which accounts for the majority of tourists to Greece - and two landings at Thessaloniki Airport.
People seem to be leaving the epidemic behind, we are gradually getting used to a new normal life, said Christine Soprano, a passenger from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
An archaeological site for visitors to Santorini Island.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was guided to visit an archaeological site on Santorini Island.
On Santorini Island, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the country was ready to reopen to tourists and deploy all appropriate medical measures to ensure the health of tourists.
Sunset scenery on Santorini Island. The resumption of the tourism industry will help improve the difficult situation of about 700,000 workers in the tourism sector of Greece.
