Greece PM offers free Rhodes vacation for travellers affected by wildfires
Aug 04, 2023
Athens [Greece], August 4 : Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is offering a “do-over” for travellers whose trip to the holiday island of Rhodes was cancelled or cut short due to the country's wildfires, CNN reported.
The Greek Prime Minister appeared on the UK chat show Good Morning Britain on August 2 to discuss the situation in Rhodes. Many of the affected travellers were from the UK.
He said, “For all those whose holiday was cut short as a result of wildfires, the Greek government in cooperation with local authorities will offer one week of free holidays on Rhodes, next spring or next fall so that we make sure they come back to the island.”
Mitsotakis did not explain how the plan would work and no additional details were offered.
During the severe wildfires and heat waves in July, more than 19,000 tourists were evacuated from Rhodes.
Other regions of Greece were also affected as a result of weather-related issues. The island of Corfu also evacuated travellers, and one of the country’s most iconic attractions, the Acropolis, closed to visitors as temperatures in Athens soared to 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 Fahrenheit).
The Greek Tourism Ministry in a press release said: “Rhodes is back! We are pleased to announce that the operational state of emergency has expired on the island of Rhodes. Life is now returning to normal for the entire island of Rhodes, including the few areas that were affected.”
Greece relies heavily on the tourism industry, with 18.5 per cent of the national GDP coming from travel, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council, as per CNN.
