ADVERTISEMENTFollowing last summer’s devastating wildfires on the island of Rhodes, Greece has announced it’s giving thousands of affected holidaymakers free trips.
In July 2023, thousands of tourists were forced to flee Rhodes as the fires tore through the popular destination.
Under the programme, those who were staying in hotels evacuated due to the fires will be able to take advantage of vouchers of up to €500 to cover accommodation for a week-long stay.
Up to 25,000 affected holidaymakers are now eligible for the compensation, which will also help to rebuild tourism in Rhodes.
The e-vouchers will be valid in the island's shoulder seasons - from now until 31 May and then again from 1 October to 15 November.
The scheme is a world first, following months of red tape and discussions to get the go ahead.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, the Greek tourism ministry’s general secretary, Myron Flouris, explained, “It’s been a very complicated process not least, I think, because we’re the first country in the world to do this.”
How can those affected benefit from Greece’s ‘free’ holiday scheme?
Tourism officials in Rhodes say take-up has already been strong, with over 5,000 future holidaymakers already enrolling.
They expect applications to be even higher for the autumn dates, when more people are aware of the scheme.
Compensation awarded will reflect the amount evacuated travellers originally paid to tour operators and will range from €300 to €500 - but will only be available at hotels rather than Airbnbs and other private accommodation.
The initiative was put in place in August last year, when Greece’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, announced it on British TV show Good Morning Britain.
That promise was made just days after those stranded were forced to cut short their trips; the majority made to flee were British tourists.
Is Rhodes still at risk of wildfires?
Mitsotakis was behind the mass evacuation as a preventive measure in July last year - and he returned to the island this week.
Speaking at the appropriately-named ‘EU Tourism: Resilience in the Era of the Climate Crisis’ press conference, he explained that wildfires are likely to continue due to climate change.
“All of the Mediterranean is a hotspot for climate change. That, statistically, means we will have more fires and probably more floods.”
Adding that what mattered most was safety, he continued, “It wasn’t easy… to evacuate 25,000 visitors but we did it safely and we are very proud of the fact that we managed to confront this crisis essentially without mourning [the loss] of human life.”
Many UK holidaymakers visit Rhodes with the help of tour operators, like Jet2, TUI and Thomas Cook, but they must now liaise directly with the Greek government to obtain their vouchers.
Thomas Cook has advised its customers to contact the Greek tourist board, Rhodes authorities and participating hoteliers, while TUI says its clients should contact the Greek government via its online platform in order to claim their ‘free’ trips.