Sharjah24 – AFP: Greece will no longer require travellers with European vaccine passports to undergo Covid-19 tests before entering the country, from next week, the health minister said Friday.
"As of Monday, those with active European (vaccination) certificates will enter without obligatory testing," Health Minister Thanos Plevris said in a televised statement.
Greece has followed several other EU countries in relaxing pandemic restrictions as it aims for a 4.5-percent spurt of economic growth this year.
Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Friday said the move was designed to boost the country's important travel industry, with the season launching on March 1.
"Our country is preparing to welcome summer visitors from March 1, sooner than ever before," he said.
Tourism accounts for around a quarter of the Greek economy. Receipts in 2021 stood at over 10 billion euros ($ 11.4 billion).
Kikilias this week said Greece expects an "all-time record" in cruise ship arrivals this year, with the year's first ship expected in Thessaloniki on Sunday.
Greece has recorded over two million Covid-19 cases and over 23,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
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