Greece opens cafes after two months of lockdown

In Greece, cafes and restaurants were back open for business on Monday as the country accelerated efforts to salvage its tourism season.

More than 34 million visitors traveled to Greece last year, spending 18.2 billion euros ($19.5 billion), according to government data.

With a view of the Acropolis and padded lounge seating, it's usually hard for cafe goers to find a spot at Kayak cafe, but midday Monday it was still largely empty.

After two months of only being able to have coffee to go, a few locals took advantage of the available seats to enjoy the morning in the outdoor area.

"I think everybody dreamt of going outside, we were hungry to go outside. Here in Greece, particularly, life takes place outside, you cannot have us shut inside," said regular customer Michalis Kapadais.

Owner Liza Meneretzi made iced coffee for the handful of customers waiting outside, unsure of whether this summer is going to cover running costs.

"Last year at around this time, we had tourists, we were crowded. Now, we live a different reality," said Meneretzi.

Tourism is a vital part of the Greek economy, directly contributing more than 10% of the country's GDP as the country struggles to emerge from years of financial crisis.

(Representative Image)