187 Tourists Volunteer For 'Lockdown Vacation' Experiment At Greek Resort (VIDEO)
Nearly 200 Dutch tourists are on an experimental getaway at a Greek resort to see if "lockdown vacations" could be the future of global travel.
The program features 187 tourists locking down together at the Mitsis Grand Hotel on the island of Rhodes, following strict safety protocols to try and "safely restart international tourism," according to travel company Sunweb, who organized the retreat.
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After flying to Greece together, participants must stay inside the resort at all times, keeping physically distanced and wearing their masks unless they're seated at a restaurant table or on a sunbed, or if they're in the pool itself.
"In the beginning, I was afraid I wouldn’t get that holiday feeling because that all the rules and regulations would make me too obliged to abide by the rules," said vacationer Joey in a vlog during his stay.
"But it’s not too bad at all, you just have to sit comfortably [and] grab a nice drink."
Reuters, via CTV, reports that 25,000 people signed up to participate in the test pilot and that tickets for the resort vacation cost 399 euros, or about CA$600.