A holiday to the Greek isles is a distant prospect for most people as Europe continues to fight COVID-19.

But a group of Dutch tourists has embarked on an experimental vacation to Rhodes. The goal is to determine whether tourism and events can be organized safely during the pandemic.

On Monday night, almost 200 lucky people arrived on the Greek island. The travelers are part of a test by Dutch tour operator Sunweb to see if it's safe to travel again. It is not your usual holiday, explains Mattijs ten Brink, Sunweb's CEO. "They have to stay a full week in the resort and there are many rules to be followed."

Thousands of people tried to get in, much to the surprise of Sunweb: "We were afraid nobody would apply. In the end, 25,000 people registered. So, that's more than 200 times the people we could actually take. That's fantastic!"

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Participants paid $475 for "all-inclusive" access to the pool, restaurants and other facilities, but nothing else, not even the beach. They have to respect the 1.5-meter social distancing and wear a face mask. That doesn't seem to bother holiday goers. 

"Well, it's all we can get right now, so we will enjoy," said one of the holidaymakers on arrival at Rhodes Airport. Another added: "I'm very happy, it's been a long time since we've been on holiday. So let's see if we enjoy it, even with the restrictions."

At the end of the holiday, there are still some more rules to respect. The tourists have to take a PCR test 72 hours before departure and another rapid test at the airport. Once back in the Netherlands, they have to go into quarantine for 10 days unless they take a new PCR five days after arrival and the outcome is negative. Then they can go out again.

It may all sound not very easy, but European holidays could be back again if this test goes well. "We are all hoping that this summer brings the start of a rebound," says Ten Brink.

Last year, millions of Europeans had to cancel their summer holiday. Politicians are beginning to feel the pressure to make sure that will not be the case this year. 

With many uncertainties and a slow vaccination pace in the EU, experiments like this could help decide whether there is a safe way to allow people to take an overseas break during the pandemic.