As many as 19,000 or more tourists who had to flee for their lives when wildfires overran large swathes of Rhodes can return there for free in 2024 for state-paid vacations, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
Many were from the United Kingdom, an important tourist market for Greece and he told Britain’s ITV, “For all those whose holidays were cut short as a result of the wildfires, the Greek government, in cooperation with the local authorities, will offer one week of free holidays on Rhodes next spring and next fall. This will ensure they come back to the island and enjoy its natural beauty.”
As did Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, downplayed how serious it was saying the fires covered only about 50 square kilometers (19.3 square miles) but it still forced hotel, resort, and residential evacuations of some 19,000 people.
Many had to trudge along beaches with the fires and smoke chasing them, complaining there weren’t any responders before their tour companies sent repatriation flights to take them home, cutting short their holidays.
Mitsotakis said that’s all over now as Greece is beckoning people to keep coming after reports the tourism sector was at risk because of the heatwaves – another is seen in August – and arsonists running amok setting fires everywhere.
He said there’s longer any fires on the island and the weather forecast for the first half of August is promising, although the fires have broken out often during the summer in Greece.
He noted that no lives were lost on Rhodes, nor anyone injured reported and said that, “We managed to evacuate 20,000 people very, very safely,” setting any criticism that help was left up to local residents on the island.
Mitsotakis said, “We understand that this caused some inconvenience for our visitors. But I’m happy to report that Rhodes today is more welcoming than ever, and the island is back to normal.”
North Aegean Regional Governor Georgios Chatzimarkos told reporters at a news conference about the fires on Rhodes and Corfu and about the “heroic” efforts of firefighters and others joining in to battle the blazes.
Of the 41 hotels that were evacuated in Rhodes during the wildfires 35 have reopened, he added, while the situation on the island is assessed every six hours, he stressed in a bid to woo tourists through the summer and beyond.
A number of top government and tourism officials were at the meeting to present a united front and pitch to tourists who are the country’s biggest revenue engine, on a path to spend more than 20 billion euros ($21.94 billion) before the fires.
“Trust is essential for business,” said Frank Oostdam, President of the European Travel Agents & Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA) as he said Greece “has shown that it can deal with unexpected large-scale events in a humane and effective way, and this achievement should not be underestimated.”
The Greek Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) are running international promotions of tourism on Rhodes, following the reopening of hotels affected by a devastating fire on the popular island.
It includes trips for journalists and opinion makers to Rhodes in August from key markets including Great Britain, Germany, France, Poland, the Low Countries (Benelux), and Italy to show off the island.
There will also be ad campaigns in 18 countries, also featuring off-season travel in Greece to keep people coming into the autumn and year-round although there are no plans reported to curb overtourism that’s overrunning some islands.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
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