Free holidays on Greek isle for fire-affected tourists

Free holidays on Greek isle for fire-affected tourists
Greece’s prime minister is providing a “do-over” for travellers whose journeys to the vacation island of Rhodes have been cancelled or truncated on account of the nation’s wildfires this summer season.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared on the UK chat present Good Morning Britain on August 2 to debate the state of affairs in Rhodes. Many of the affected travellers have been from the UK.

“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,” he mentioned.

Greece fires
A firefighting helicopter scoops up within the village of Gennadi on the island of Rhodes, Greece on July 27, 2023. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) (Getty)

Mitsotakis didn’t clarify how the plan would work and no further particulars have been provided.

More than 19,000 vacationers have been evacuated from Rhodes throughout extreme wildfires and heatwaves in July.

The weather-related points affected different areas in Greece as nicely. The island of Corfu additionally evacuated vacationers, and one of many nation’s most iconic sights, the Acropolis, closed to guests as temperatures in Athens soared to 44 levels Celsius.

Greece fires

Holiday hotspots devastated in Greek wildfires

The Greek Tourism Ministry, the nation’s official tourism physique, was equally bullish in a press launch this week.

“Rhodes is back!” the discharge learn. “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 depends closely on the tourism business, with 18.5 per cent of the nationwide GDP coming from journey, in response to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

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Source: www.9news.com.au