The complete absence of visitors has allowed several major projects to be completed.
The new terminal at the airport is now operational, says Filippidis.The new road which connects Oia with the airport and part of Athinios port has also been completed, so getting round the island is going to be much easier.For a destination that was second only to Venice with its cruise-ship issues, the fact that very few of these enormous vessels – if any – will return in 2020 is considered to be good news. With each ship disgorging up to 3,000 people onto minibuses, these floating hotels clogged up Santorini's roads.
Indeed the privacy model that made Santorini so successful as a honeymoon destination could well work to its advantage.
Adrian Mourby
Rather than huge hotels with large public spaces, most of Santorini’s suites have private entrances and sunlit balconies with a dedicated pool or Jacuzzi that is cleansed and chlorinated daily, says Filippidis.Breakfast is served in your room, not in a dining hall. This is ideal for guests who want to feel safe. Unlike in big resorts we're not having to put up perspex screens between sun-loungers.
I have visited Santorini two summers ago for a short, one day trip via ferry from Heraklion. The scenery in Oia and other towns is awesome, though it was a little disconcerting to see how mundane and bland the rest of the island looked. Walk for 5 minutes away from the cliffside covered in brilliant white buildings and you find yourself in a basic rustic surrounding, hot, dry, and dusty. The worst part of the trip, leaving aside a sudden wisdom tooth ache, were the tourist crowds – especially annoying since I like photography and I could barely find a composition without people intruding. It would be great if the island can move towards more balanced and sustainable approaches to tourism, even during this crisis.
We are living in a strange time, says winemaker Petros Vamvakousis.
Everything about the island reminds me of winter. Many restaurants, cafés and hotels are closed. It is summer now and it is extremely strange for Santorini being so quiet and lonely.Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images
Like many others, I would like to have a proper vacation sometime this year, and Greece is an appealing destination, sunny, close to Romania and with few travel restrictions. I would also love to see a quieter Santorini, who knows when there will be a similar occasion? Maybe spend a couple of days exploring less traveled areas and capturing sunsets and sunrises – though at 15% occupancy hotel prices may be rather high. Even so, I prefer to err on the side of caution; the virus may look contained in Europe, but it is far from eradicated. There may still be sudden outbreaks and stricter travel restrictions in the coming months, and I would rather not be caught away from home when that happens. I can manage to relax and unwind in my country for a while.
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