In a letter to European Commissioner Thierry Breton, Greek Tourism Μinister Haris Theoharis offers suggested measures for the short to long term to regulate the coming tourism season. The suggestions come in the wake of an important meeting of European Union tourism ministers on Monday. In the letter, Greece’s top tourism official outlines short-term measures that need to be taken and will relate to the coming tourist season.
According to the news from ANA, Theorharis also laid out the medium and long-term measures for the reconstruction of the tourism industry in a new, more sustainable, and oriented direction based on a development perspective. The minister stated that clear rules concerning travelers and businesses need to be established in order to restore security and the possibility of planning.
In addition, Minister Theoharis proposed the establishment of a Tourism Competitiveness Council aiming at the further promotion of tourism issues. For the medium-term and long-term goals, he noted the need to create an effective mechanism for monitoring development, but also the formulation of a European tourism strategy that will have a 10-year horizon.
“The preservation of skills, the achievement of a digital and green transition, but also the preparation of a comprehensive plan for tourism, with the participation of experts, are moves of the utmost importance.”
The Minister of Tourism also underlined the need for even more immediate moves in order to reach a consensus and proposed the immediate creation of the necessary operational framework in relation to specific issues. In particular, Theoharis raised the following issues in his letter to European Commissioner Thierry Breton:
· Vaccination Certificate.
· Control protocols through “rapid tests” and ensuring availability.
· Resolve technical issues related to the PLF (Passenger Locator Form) and creating a common European form (EU PLF).
· Establishing clear common travel rules both between EU countries and with third countries.
· Creation of free zones of movement between specific countries or regions depending on their epidemiological situation, but also the course of vaccinations.
· Hygiene Protocols
· Temporary State Aid Framework