George Tzarakis, president of the Hoteliers Association of Ierapetra and Southeast Crete, expressed his strong concern about the effects of the major fire on the tourist image of Ierapetra through Tornos News, a few hours after the organized evacuation of thousands of visitors from the area of Schinokapsala to Agia Fotia.
As he reports, approximately 5,000 tourists, the majority of them foreigners, were safely evacuated from hotels and tourist accommodations in the area, based on the instructions of the authorities. “We experienced images of mass escape during the night. Fortunately, the evacuation took place in a timely manner and without panic,” he notes.
Despite the rumors that initially circulated, Mr. Tzarakis clarifies to Tornos News that no damage has been recorded to hotel units. “The hotels stood upright. The fire mainly affected the natural environment and some local businesses, but not the tourist infrastructure. The greatest damage is to the image and psychology,” he emphasizes.
The concern now turns to the defamation of the area and the fragile tourist balance, as suspensions of reservations and inquiries from tour operators abroad are already being observed.
He is in constant communication with partners in Germany, France, and Scandinavia, in order to give the right image: “We are trying to explain that the area is safe, the infrastructure is functioning, and that the problems were limited and were dealt with immediately.” As for the tourists who were evacuated, they are temporarily accommodated in units in Heraklion and Hersonissos.
In any case, the big bet is the next day. Professionals in the area need the immediate mobilization of the State and an organized outreach strategy, because defamation can last longer than fire.
