Tourism Minister: The visit to Russia was constructive

The visit of the Minister of Tourism Mr. Haris Theocharis to Moscow brought positive results for the resumption of tourism between Russia and Greece, as well as for the further strengthening of the ties between the two countries. During his three-day stay in the Russian capital, the minister had a series of contacts with prominent figures in the tourism industry, high-ranking government officials and representatives of the private business sector (tour operators, etc.).

Summarizing his trip to Russia, Mr. Theocharis pointed out that “my visit to Russia was extremely constructive. In 2019 we hosted over 500,000 Russian travelers in Greece and with this year’s opening of Greek Tourism we are ready to welcome every Russian tourist who wishes to spend an unforgettable, absolutely safe vacation in our country. The long-standing friendship between Russia and Greece was evident in all the contacts I had during my stay in Moscow. The love of the Russians for our homeland is reflected in practice, in the events for the anniversary of the Revolution of 1821, but, I would say, in the efforts we make together in order to liberalize the tourist movements and to simplify the formalities, always with full respect to health protocols. I leave Russia only with optimistic messages for the resumption of tourist activity to Greece “.

Recognition of vaccination certificates

The working meeting of Mr. Theocharis with the Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia, responsible for tourism, Mr. Dmitry Zverev was of great importance. In his statements, the Minister of Tourism described his cooperation with Mr. Zverev “as a positive step towards the common direction and our goal: The opening of the skies, the safe resumption of air travel. Dear Mr. Dmitry Zverev, we agreed to proceed immediately to the mutual recognition of conventional, paper-based vaccination certificates, as well as to technical discussions on the recognition of digital certificates. “But it is also very important that we reached an agreement on the joint effort and the submission of a request to the respective health committees of Russia and Greece, for the extension of the flight schedule between the two countries.”

During the meeting with Mr. Zverev, Mr. Haris Theocharis presented the 5 levels of defense set by the Ministry of Tourism for the tourist season of 2021, building the necessary “firewall” to shield the health of visitors, employees and citizens. On his part, Mr. Dmitry Zverev welcomed the positive attitude of Greece on the Russian vaccine Sputnik V and thanked the Greek Minister of Tourism for his understanding and cooperation.

TUI Russia: 300,000 tourists in Greek resorts

In Moscow, Mr. Theocharis also had a meeting with the head of the Federal Tourism Organization, Ms. Zarina Valeriyevna Doguzova, as well as with representatives of the largest tour operators in the country. A common finding of all, as the Minister pointed out, is “the readiness of the Russian tourist market for the beginning of the tourist season in Greece.” Russian tourists have already chosen our country as a destination and all that remains is the official unfettering of travel.”

It is noted that after his meeting with the Minister, the General Manager of TUI Russia Mr. Taras Demura stated that “in 2021 we will be able to send 300,000 tourists to Greek resorts. A precondition for this is for Russia and Greece to take all the necessary decisions so that on May 14 there can be the resumption of air traffic between our countries without restrictions.”

Mr. Demura assured Mr. Theocharis that TUI Russia will start charter flights to Crete from Moscow and Yekaterinburg, as well as to Corfu from Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, and Kazan. In addition, TUI Russia is ready to offer tourists trips with regular flights to Athens, the resorts of Halkidiki, the Peloponnese, and the islands of Zakynthos and Santorini.

Comprehensive plan

Speaking to the newspaper Izvestia, the Minister of Tourism had the opportunity to clarify some key elements for the opening of 2021. Mr. Theocharis explained that “as we have announced, we intend to open on May 14. This is the date on which most restrictions will be lifted and the final system will be operational. This means that travelers will be accepted, e.g. from Russia if they have either a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test. Airports will conduct testing and those visitors testing positive for COVID-19 will be quarantined. We are gradually lifting the restrictions, and especially for Russia, the talks are at an advanced stage. In Greece we are consulting the committee of infectious diseases, such and the Russian government is doing the same. Therefore, it is too early to say that all restrictions can be lifted. That is what we would like to do, but it is not a given at the moment. ”

Finally, he stressed that “Greece has never suspended the process of issuing travel visas to Russian tourists” while in an interview with ITAR-TASS Mr. Theocharis said that “we are ready to welcome tourists from Russia safely for the sake of their health. In Greece last year we proved that the pandemic does not exclude safe tourism. In the summer of 2020 we managed to open our borders to tourists, in such a way as to achieve a balance between ensuring the health of visitors and citizens on the one hand and on the other hand the ability of people to travel and enjoy their holidays. Greece has a comprehensive plan for 2021, which allows us to ensure that by removing both domestic and foreign restrictions, we will be able to ensure public health and the health of tourists.”