Rhodes fires: Free holiday for evacuated tourists, Greek PM says

The Greek prime minister has pledged to give tourists who had to escape the recent wildfires on the island of Rhodes a free one-week holiday there.

Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said people could take up the offer in the spring or autumn of 2024.

But he did not give details of how the free week could be claimed, or how the scheme would work.

More than 20,000 people were evacuated when wildfires broke out in July.

Thousands of UK holidaymakers were flown home to the UK.

Mr Mitsotakis said: "Not a single human life was lost in Rhodes, and no injuries were reported... We understand that guests have been inconvenienced, but I am happy to tell you that Rhodes is more welcoming than ever. The island is back to normal."

He also referenced the hospitality and "support" offered by Rhodes residents to stranded holidaymakers, and encouraged people to consider the island as a last-minute holiday destination to give something back to the island.

He pointed out that Greece was prepared for incidents such as wildfires and repeatedly stated that Greece was "absolutely safe".

Mr Mitsotakis acknowledged that, while wildfires have always affected the Mediterranean, their intensity had increased "as a consequence of climate change".

In July, Rhodes battled wildfires fanned by strong winds amid a prolonged and intense heatwave. Many British tourists had to cut short their holidays and return home on repatriation flights.

In one instance, an EasyJet pilot flying British tourists to Rhodes even urged passengers to get off the plane before take-off as he said it was a "bad idea".

Instead of formally advising holidaymakers not to travel to the affected Greek islands, the UK Foreign Office said people should check with their hotel and travel operator before travelling, and explained how to sign up for emergency alerts.

Some Greeks took to social media to share their frustration at Mr Mitsotakis' initiative. "Greeks may not get to go on vacation, but they will pay for foreigners' vacations," said one user of X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Not a single day of paid hotel for the locals, Greeks and immigrants, who lost their homes all over Greece and slept in the ruins," said another.

A third said that "the wretchedness of compensating tourists while not funding the protection of dwindling flora and fauna goes beyond all limits".

There is growing frustration at the Greek government's perceived inaction in the wake of last week's devastating wildfires.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of Rhodes residents gathered in front of the island's town hall to demand compensation for livestock breeders and farmers, safeguarding for workers, businesses and homeowners who lost their jobs and properties, and the immediate reforestation of the areas that burned down.

A spokesman for opposition party Syriza criticised the PM's offer to pay for evacuated tourists to come back to Rhodes, saying that "Mr Mitsotakis thinks that he will heal the blow suffered by the image of Greek tourism by promising a week's free holiday".

"A serious plan is needed for prevention and treatment. A plan that the government demonstrably does not have," he said.

A recent European Commission report on the impact of climate change on European tourism states that global warming will translate into decreased demand for southern Europe.

Tourism generally accounts for more than 20% of Greece's GDP, while Rhodes is one of the world's top 100 tourist destinations.