The tourist season in Rhodes opens today with six flights from Israel

13/05/21 at 08:50 – By: Dimitris Gartzonis

https://www.dimokratiki.gr/13-05-2021/anoigei-simera-i-toyristiki-sezon-sti-podo-me-exi-ptiseis-apo-to-israil/

The tourist season opens today with charter flights from Israel. At 7.15 in the morning, the first Aegean flight lands from Tel Aviv, at “Diagoras”.

Hamas strikes Tel Aviv may have been disrupted on Tuesday night, but Ben Gurion Airport remains open and flights are expected to operate normally (possibly with a slight delay).

“We are optimistic about the season that opens today with arrivals from Israel. We think it will be difficult to start, but as professionals we believe that the flows will gradually reach normal levels. Clearly, this season can not be compared to those before the coronavirus crisis. But we have no choice but to stay cool and optimistic and work with high professionalism. In this way we can be led to a good result “, said the Treasurer of the Association of Tourist Offices of Dodecanese, Jolanda Kappa.

As the president of the Rhodes Hoteliers Association, Manolis Markopoulos, stated in “d”, the tourist season starts with low occupancy. But the course of vaccinations and the epidemiological situation of the destination will determine the movement. That is why the large vaccination center that will soon operate in Rhodes, is an important initiative of the regional authority in cooperation with the municipal authority, according to Mr. Markopoulos, who specifically stated the following:
“Hotels will open timidly and with low occupancy, as expected. From there, the course of vaccinations and the epidemiological data will shape the demand. We still have a long way to go, and for this reason, we should all make sure to schedule our vaccination appointment as soon as possible. Clearly, the large vaccination center that will soon operate in Rhodes will make a decisive contribution to accelerating the pace of vaccinations. This is a remarkable political initiative of the regional authority in cooperation with the Municipality of Rhodes, which as citizens we must support by participating in the vaccination campaign “.

The landscape in the tourist markets is foggy
And while the new tourist season opens, the landscape around the main tourist markets remains foggy. Greece is on the British’s orange travel list. At the same time, both the United Kingdom and Germany “premium” holidays at home, while setting restrictions on travel abroad. “The UK market is a big question mark right now. Both England and Germany are rewarding domestic holidays. They have not clarified whether they will be required to remain in quarantine after their holidays in Greece, they impose two pcr tests with high cost for each traveler and so on. At the same time, we are waiting for the announcements and decisions of Russia, while the Scandinavian markets are still on hold!

The few bookings that come, concern the period from July onwards “, said the president of the Association of Hotel Managers of Rhodes, George Matsigos, while he added that the health condition of the destination will play an important role in the course of the season:” We can not proceed in predictions of how things will turn out. We will definitely have a better season than last year. We open with low occupancy and offers. But what is required is not the price… What matters is to become a green destination. The health situation will play a role in the course of the tourist season “.

Source: www.dimokratiki.gr