Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Greece working on vaccine passport deals with 10 nations, including UK

Flights bringing visitors from some European countries, Israel and the United Kingdom will begin in April and from mid-May, more countries will be added to the list of those who do not need to quarantine upon arrival.

As the European Commission gets ready to present a proposal to allow vaccinated people to freely travel across the bloc, countries such as Greece have already started working on their own vaccine passports.

Determined to open tourism to foreign visitors in the spring, a pilot phase of flights bringing visitors from some European countries, Israel and the United Kingdom will begin in April.

From mid-May, more countries will be added to the list of those who do not need to quarantine upon arrival.

Instead, they will need a vaccine certificate, an immune certificate or a negative COVID-19 result.

The Greek Ministry of Tourism has signed a “green pass” agreement with Israel and is working on similar bilateral agreements with 10 more countries; the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, China, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

“The plan is to allow both vaccinated and unvaccinated people with negative tests to be able to travel to Greece, with everyone subject to random testing upon arrival," said Harry Theoharis, Greece's tourism minister.

"Of course, for everybody's peace of mind, people working in tourism will be vaccinated and at the same time, people that are found positive will be isolated in quarantine hotels. Other than that normal rules will apply and a smile is mandatory," he added.

Greece hopes that the European Union will adopt a “vaccination certificate” to allow free travel for all those that have received the jab.

But if not, the country will proceed on its own, accepting tourists who have been vaccinated, even with the Russian and Chinese vaccines.

Theoharis explained that “we are very glad that our proposal about the "green pass" has been adopted by the European Commission and we hope for a swift resolution of this initiative, ensuring that both the legal and the technical sides are up to speed to save the summer".

"If not Greece will have to adopt its own rules and of course recognise the vaccination certificate of each and every European country."

Meanwhile, with its new slogan “All you want is Greece” those working in the tourism industry say they are fully prepared for the special requirements that the pandemic is imposing.

Hotels, which are opening their doors in May, are following the strict hygiene protocols that were applied last year.

By then the vaccination of the 300,000 employees of the tourism sector will have started and the health protocols for hotels will be updated.

“In 2020, Greek hoteliers proved they could effectively implement health protocols. We strictly followed all the rules. So, just a handful of coronavirus cases were detected in hotels. Demand for Greece is very high, although reservations have not been made yet,” said Grigoris Tasios, President of Greek Hoteliers.

Greece hopes to recover at least half of its pre- Covid-19 tourism traffic to help deal with the financial impact.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×