Seize the Greek sunshine

The land known for the quintessential 'sun and beach' vibes has more to offer than one can dream

With more than 16,000 kilometres of coastline, over 6,000 islands and islets, of which 227 islands are inhabited and well-established tourism industry, Greece is one of the top global tourism destinations for sun and beach holidays and provides attractive propositions for year-round holidays. The Greek coastline offers a diverse landscape of sheltered bays and coves, sandy and pebbled beaches, sand dunes, wetlands and deltas and caves formed by seawater and dark-coloured sand in volcanic areas.

Tourism flows Greece-UAE

Greece is a popular destination for UAE residents, who seek the unique combination of natural beauty, physical, historical and cultural attractions, a variety of accommodation and entertainment options as well as the relaxed vacation lifestyle that Greece offers. Geographic proximity and a relatively short air travel is also an advantage for UAE visitors. The recent establishment of a bilateral 'safe travel corridor' between the two countries, which allows vaccinated people to travel easily, without quarantine restrictions, has given a further boost in the bilateral tourism flows, as the tourism industry is rapidly recovering in both countries. This is proven by the resumption of direct flights to Greece by all Emirati air carriers, as well as by the fast deployment of new seasonal charter flights from the UAE to famous Greek tourist destinations, such as the islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Crete and Rhodes.

With the brief interval of the 'exceptional' 2020, the number of arrivals to Greece from the UAE has been quite high in the past few years, reaching 200,000 in 2018. Since mid-May 2021, when Greece opened to foreign tourists and the 'safe travel corridor' with the UAE was established, close to 6,000 arrivals from the UAE have been recorded. We strongly believe that 2021 is becoming a very important year in terms of tourism as bilateral tourism flows are expected to boom once again.  

The establishment of the 'safe travel corridor' fully reflects the spirit of mutual trust that encompasses the excellent and flourishing bilateral relations between the Governments of Greece and the UAE. Today, the relations between our two countries have reached a level of strategic dimension. There is a strong will by the leaders of Greece and the UAE to further deepen this cooperation in various fields. Many agreements and Memorandum of Understandings have been signed, most significant among them being the Joint Declaration on the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Governments of Greece and the UAE, signed in Abu Dhabi in November 2020. This year, Greece is proudly celebrating 200 years since the beginning of the struggle of the Greek people towards independence. The fact that this year is the UAE's 50th anniversary since the establishment of the federation is a happy coincidence underlining the common destiny of the two friendly nations, both looking into the future with vision and optimism.

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