GOVERNMENT POLICIES ENABLING TRAVEL & TOURISM RECOVERY DURING COVID-19
WORLD TRAVEL & TOURISM COUNCIL
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there. Although Member States retained the freedom to set their own restriction policies, most adhered to the
European Council’s recommendations, which gave more clarity to the sector and consumers alike.
In 2021, the EU took the lead in rebooting the sector with the launch of its Digital COVID Certificate (DCC). This is the
first global example of where so many countries have collaborated to produce a system for verifying COVID-19 status
that is common and fully interoperable across all those countries. The free DCC is digital proof that a person has
either been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, has received a negative COVID-19 test result or has recovered from the
disease. The rapid rollout of the DCC was helped by close partnership with key stakeholders such as airline and airport
operators. Since 1 July 2021, EU citizens and residents have been able to receive their DCC and have it verified across all
EU Member States. They should then be exempted from testing or restrictions on free movement.
RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACH
FOR INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS
Greece
Since Greece reopened its international borders for leisure travel following the first wave of COVID-19, it has been at
the forefront in the use of a risk-based border management policy that includes looking at the risk an individual poses,
rather than imposing sweeping restrictive conditions of entry on all travellers from a country.
On 15 June 2020, Greece reopened its borders to leisure tourism from other European Union (EU) member states,
expanding its approach from 1 July to all airports in Greece and from specified non-EU/Schengen area countries with
relatively low COVID-19 case rates. Unlike some other governments, it decided not to require the arrivals from certain
countries to automatically self-isolate for up to two weeks¬. Instead, it was an early adopter of more meaningful testing
protocols. Any visitor arriving via air, land or sea could be subject to random COVID-19 tests upon arrival. Those who
were tested were free to go straight to their hotel. In the event of a positive result, arrivals would be placed in a 14-day
quarantine, with all expenses, including hospitalisation, covered by the Greek state. In addition, when COVID-19 case
rates grew in countries such as Belgium and Spain in August 2020, Greece began requiring the negative result of a PCR
test taken up to 72 hours before departure rather than imposing an outright ban or a quarantine.
The government further developed its individual risk management policy in 2021. After the Europe-wide lockdown
and suspension of most cross-border flights in early 2021, Greece was one of the first European countries to permit
international leisure travel again. In March, it announced a clear roadmap and timeline for reopening from 14 May, which
enabled travellers to make plans and provided much needed clarity and certainty for businesses. Since May 2021, there
has been no automatic quarantine policy on arrival for people coming from an expanding list of countries that began
with the 27 EU Member States, UK, Israel, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. Instead, all arriving travellers must show proof of
either a negative antigen or PCR test result, a recovery certificate that confirms they have previously tested positive for
COVID-19 and have recovered, or that they have been fully vaccinated with an EU-approved vaccine. Random antigen
tests on arrival continue.
In addition, the health and tourism ministries collaborated to launch the ‘Blue Freedom’ plan in May 2021. This prioritised
the vaccination rollout among the residents and hospitality workers on islands that particularly rely on the Travel &
Tourism sector, thereby stimulating confidence in potential travellers to book a trip to Greece in the knowledge that it is
a safe destination.