In the last weeks of July, extensive forest fires ravaged the Greek holiday island of Rhodes. Over 20,000 tourists and local residents were forced to flee their hotels and homes to escape the sea of flames.
Last week reported Greek authorities that the fires should be under control.
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Now they are trying to lure the tourists back to the holiday paradise with a proper gift package:
They offer a week’s free holiday for everyone who was affected by the forest fires.
This is what Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tells British ITV, according to the news agency Reuters.
– Free holiday next year
– In cooperation with local authorities, the Greek authorities will offer a week of free holiday on Rhodes for all those who had their holiday interrupted due to forest fires, says Mitsotakis.
According to the Prime Minister, the offer will apply for next year.
– It will be next spring, or next autumn, so that we ensure that they return to the island and can enjoy its natural beauty, he said.
Mitsotakis gave no details on how this will be implemented.
Lars Vestre (27) and his partner Amalie Øvrelid (26) had to evacuate from the forest fire raging on Rhodes. Video: Tips. Reporter: Magnus Paus / Dagbladet TV Show more
– Real offer
It is very important for Greece that potential tourists are not scared away from visiting the island, says Anne Mørk-Løwengreen, head of communications at the travel company TUI Norway.
– We were aware that this offer would come, and think it is fantastic that the Greek authorities are taking such an initiative. It also shows that it is incredibly important for the economy of Rhodes that the tourists travel back again after the forest fires. So that is probably why they are now giving an “extra gift” to those who were affected, she says to Dagbladet’s DinSide.
She believes the offer appears to be genuine.
– I absolutely understand that this is a real offer, and that these holidays will take place either in spring or autumn next year. But we have not received any information about exactly what will be included in the offer.
DEVASTATION: The forest fires destroyed large parts of the island’s nature, and around 45 buildings on Rhodes were damaged. Photo: REUTERS / Nicolas Economou / NTB Show more
Mørk-Løwengreen says that TUI has been in dialogue with the Greek authorities.
– We have not received any official letter from the Greek authorities, as far as I know. But TUI has been involved in talks about this, and we know that the offer is on the way.
– Great offer
Ståle Johansen and his girlfriend Victoria Zieba were among the tourists who had their holiday ruined by the forest fires.
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Johansen says that he has heard about the Greek Prime Minister’s offer, but that he was unsure whether it was genuine or not.
When he is told that Mørk-Løwengreen sees the offer as real, Johansen replies as follows:
– If that is true, it is very generous of them. It’s a great offer, it’s hard to say no to a free holiday.
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When the situation was at its worst, the couple thought it would be the last time they visited Rhodes.
– When we were in the middle of it, we thought: “Never again”, because it was so dramatic. Of course we have to consider it, but we haven’t given it much thought yet.
Johansen believes it would have been a shame if the tourists stopped going to the holiday island because of the fires.
– I don’t think the fires are their fault at all. The locals were very kind and generous to us when it happened, and I have a lot of respect for them. So I think it would have been a real shame if people hadn’t gone to Rhodes because of this.
Tourists wait several hours in line for the best sunbed in Spain. Reporter: Mia Engenes Bratlie. Video: Tiktok / Caters / Newsflare Show more
– Includes Norwegians
Mørk-Løwengreen says that around a hundred of their Norwegian customers were affected by the forest fires, and that they will probably get the same offer.
– As I understand it, this offer will apply to everyone who was affected by the forest fires, including Norwegian tourists. In TUI Norge, just under a hundred Norwegians were evacuated.
But it is still not entirely clear exactly who will be offered a free holiday.
– How the Greek authorities will define “affected”, and how many will be offered a free holiday, I do not know.
How the Greek authorities will send potentially thousands of tourists to Rhodes at their expense has also not been explained.
– How it will be carried out in practical terms has not been fully worked out yet, but we are among the travel companies that cooperate most closely with the Greek authorities. We will of course let our customers know as soon as we know anything more, she says.
Heat wave and forest fires are ravaging southern Europe. Travel expert Odd Roar Lange explains why many will stop traveling to countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy. Reporter: Mia Engenes Bratlie. Video: Dagbladet TV Show more
– Good news
In any case, one thing is certain: There is probably no one who will say no to a free holiday.
– This is of course good news for our customers, it is always nice to have a free trip to a fantastic destination. I expect that everyone will be happy about it, I would have been anyway, says Mørk-Løwengreen.
Dagbladet has tried to get in touch with the Greek embassy in Oslo for a comment, but has not been successful in this.
2023-08-04 17:03:48
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