Greece gives away 25,000 free holidays after historic Rhodes wildfires

In a world first, the Greek government is giving away 25,000 'free' holidays . Photo / 123rf

The Greek government is inviting 25,000 tourists to return to the islands for free. Offering to pay for the travel of tourists affected by the Rhodes wildfires last year, it is thought to be the largest state-sponsored holiday compensation in history.

Any tourist on the island of Rhodes last year who had their trip cut short or was evacuated from their hotel will be able to claim up to €500 ($890) in holiday vouchers from the government.

The scheme costing more than €12,500,000 is aimed at both rebuilding the local tourist economy and restoring confidence in holidays in Greek holidays following the wildfires last July. At least three people died and tens of thousands were evacuated from Corfu and Rhodes, most of whom were international visitors.

The scheme dubbed “Rodos Week” by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the compensation scheme has been described as a “world first”.

Affected tourists from 2022 would be able to apply for another holiday in Greece at any time between now and May 31, or from October 1 to November 15, with the successful applicants receiving vouchers from the ministry of tourism and Rhodes hoteliers.

Many of those affected by the fires were tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and northern Europe.

Greece’s general secretary for tourism, Myron Flouris, told the Guardian, it has been “a very complicated process not least, I think, because we’re the first country in the world to do this”.

Tourists stand on a beach after being evacuated during a forest fire on the island of Rhodes, Greece in July 22, 2023. Photo / Argyris Mantikos,Eurokinissi via AP

Rhodes tourism officials say uptake is already strong with EuroNews reporting already 5000 enrolments.

The €300 - €500 vouchers will only be valid on the islands’ resorts - rather than through private accommodation and Airbnbs, and will be valid through the spring and autumn shoulder seasons.

The scheme was first announced on UK television last August. PM Mitsotakis announced plans on Good Morning Britain as two fifths of affected tourists were British nationals.

Among those affected were a Whanganui family, Scott and Imelda Aspinall and their two children.

“A lot of people just dropped everything and ran; it was so hot it was unbearable to even walk down the road, and they were running into 40C heat,” they told the Whanganui Chronicle at the time.

Speaking at a conference titled “EU Tourism: Resilience in the Era of the Climate Crisis” the Greek PM said that the evacuations were largely a preventative measure but the region is likely to see further fires and extreme weather.

“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.

“All of the Mediterranean is a hotspot for climate change.”

Tourists must apply directly to the government’s online platform to claim trips.