Greek Prime Minister invites tourists whose trips to the resort island of Rhodes were canceled or cut short due to forest fires to “reboot” their vacation.
Free holiday in Rhodes for wildfire-affected tourists chat show Good Morning Britain in August to discuss the situation in Rhodes. Many of the affected tourists were from the UK.
“For all those affected by the wildfires, the Greek government, in cooperation with the local authorities, will offer a week of free holidays in Rhodes next spring or autumn,” – he said.
Mitsotakis did not explain how the plan would work, and no further details were provided.
More than 19,000 tourists were evacuated from Rhodes during the severe wildfires and heat wave in July.
Weather problems also affected other regions of Greece. So, the island of Corfu was also forced to evacuate tourists, and one of the country's most famous attractions – the Acropolis – was closed to visitors due to the heat, when the temperature in Athens rose to 44 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
The Greek Ministry of Tourism this week announced the resumption of the tourist season
"Rhodes is open again!" – said the press release. “We are pleased to announce that the operational state of emergency on the island of Rhodes has expired. Life is returning to normal again for the entire island of Rhodes, including those few areas that have been most affected.
Greece is heavily dependent on the tourism industry – this is 18.5% of the national GDP.