Greek PM says arrivals to undergo coronavirus tests rather than be quarantined.

* A taverna in Karpathos, Greece. Photograph: Constantinos Iliopoulos/Alamy

Greece has revved up the engines of its tourism industry, announcing that holidaymakers will be able to return to its beaches within weeks.

In an address to the nation, the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said 15 June was the official start date of a tourist season delayed by the global coronavirus pandemic and that direct international fights to the country’s tourist destinations would resume gradually from 1 July.

Holidaymakers from Bulgaria, Serbia, the UK and other countries would not be quarantined but would have to undergo coronavirus tests, the centre-right leader said in an attempt to allay fears of the virus being brought in from abroad.

In a speech highlighting the significance of the tourism sector for the Greek economy, Mitsotakis said: “Sample tests will be conducted on our visitors, and our general health protocols will be adhered to, without them … overshadowing our bright sun or the natural beauties of Greece.”

Previously the prime minister had said that “in the best-case scenario”, Greece would be accepting all tourists from 1 July, but – seeking to capitalise on the country’s unexpectedly successful handling of the pandemic – he announced seasonal hotels could open from 15 June.

The first foreign tourists are expected to enter the country by car from neighbouring Balkan states that have also recorded low infection and mortality rates.