Rhodes: From free holidays to a tourism voucher of 66.6 euros per day – 2024-04-01 12:20:22

The free seven-day holidays in Rhodes for those tourists who interrupted their stay on the island in the summer of 2023 due to the fires were turned into a voucher of 300 or 400 euros for six nights, which causes snickers among the hoteliers of the island, according to ot.gr.

It was August 2, 2023 when Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a free week-long holiday in Rhodes to foreign and Greek tourists who had been forced to cut short their holidays due to the fires. He specifically stated at the time: “And for all those whose holidays were interrupted by the fires, the Greek government, in cooperation with the local authorities, will offer a week’s free holiday in Rhodes, next spring, next autumn, so that we can ensure that they will return to the island and enjoy its natural beauty”.

Time passed, law 5079/2023 was published in article 99 of which provided for “financial aid to support the tourism of the island of Rhodes” and eight months later came the ministerial decisions that turned the free holidays into a small one compared to the data of the island of disposition, residence without also any compensation for the cost of transportation.

These values ​​do not exist

In particular, the Prime Minister’s commitment resulted in an accommodation voucher worth 300 euros for six mandatory nights on the island in one to three star hotels and 400 euros for six nights in four or five star hotels. “Such prices do not exist in Rhodes” was reported to ot.gr by a hotelier, implying that the amount is too small for the island’s standards.

In fact, the first estimates from the island indicate that there will be very few hotels, especially the four and five star ones, that will respond to the relative “invitation” as the compensation provided is very small. Only perhaps some small hotels in less prominent areas of the island may join the program, hoteliers of the island estimate.

And this for up to a triple room in a 4 and 5 star hotel, the compensation amounts to 66.6 euros per day (400 euros in total for six nights).

Research on Booking

A little research on Booking done yesterday showed on an indicative date of 14-20 October only eight 4 star hotels (five stars none) out of a total of 180 hotels offering six nights for a total price of less than 400 euros. Also indicatively for the period 20-26 May, in a total of 114 1-3 star hotels, only 22 hotels offer prices lower than 300 euros. So “coal is the treasure” of the prime minister’s announcement. In fact, some hoteliers, in addition to their disappointment at the “small discount instead of free holidays” that the program actually offers, also expressed their concerns about the bureaucratic procedures it provides, although as they note that they would like to support the government initiative.

What does the decision provide?

With the title “INVITATION FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO BENEFICIARIES AND HOSPITALITY HOTELS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTION “GRANTING FINANCIAL AID TO SUPPORT THE TOURISM OF THE ISLAND OF RHODES” IN 2024″ was published in “Clarity” relevant ministerial decision specifying another joint decision of the Ministers OF NATIONAL ECONOMY AND FINANCE – TOURISM – DIGITAL GOVERNANCE (Government Gazette B’ 1398/March 1, 2024).

The decision provides that “two (2) time periods are defined between which the beneficiaries can choose to make use of the free stay of seven (7) consecutive days (six (6) nights) in a Hotel on the island of Rhodes, selected by the Hotel Registry Hosting: 1st Period – Spring (10/04/2024 – 31/05/2024) and 2nd Period – Autumn (01/10/2024 – 15/11/2024). Beneficiaries must spend seven (7) consecutive days (six (6) nights) in hotels on the island of Rhodes of the same category (stars) and corresponding room type as the one they stayed in at the time of the fires, choosing from among the accommodations of the Hotel Registry Hospitality”.

The beneficiaries

-Beneficiaries of financial support are defined as natural persons, regardless of nationality, who stayed in hotels that were evacuated during the occurrence of the forest fires on the island of Rhodes in July 2023 and who have been included in the Register of Beneficiaries of article 4 of no. 3898 K.Y.A. (Issue B’ 1398/01.03.2024), which is drawn up by decision of the Head of the General Directorate of Tourism Policy of the General Secretariat of Tourism Policy and Development of the Ministry of Tourism.

– Beneficiaries can choose freely among the Hotels included in the Register of Hospitality Hotels:

1. the Hotel in which they wish to stay, provided that it is of the same category (stars) as the one they stayed in when the fires occurred in July 2023.
2. the time period in which they will make their stay, choosing between the two (2) time periods provided (Spring Period – Autumn Period).

TRAVEL ORDER (e-voucher)

1. The “e-voucher” held by the beneficiaries incorporates a financial value which is identical to the financial aid of the beneficiary, in whose name the reservation was made during the occurrence of the forest fires on the island of Rhodes in July 2023, and corresponds to in the amount to which the beneficiary is entitled based on the provisions in paragraph 1 of article 6 of no. 3898 K.Y.A. (Issue B’ 1398/01.03.2024).
2. The “e-voucher” travel order is personalized, i.e. it is issued in the name of the beneficiary, and its integrated economic value is paid to the hotel company that provides the hospitality services with a unique code.
3. A condition for the payment of the integrated financial value of the “e-voucher” is the stay of the beneficiaries for seven (7) consecutive days (six (6) nights) in a hotel on the island of Rhodes, therefore the financial support will be forfeited in the event that they do not the legal condition of the beneficiary’s stay for seven (7) consecutive days (six (6) nights) in a Hotel included in the Register of Hospitality Hotels is met.
4. For the cases of beneficiaries who have been included in the Register of Beneficiaries, as defined in article 3 of no. 3898 K.Y.A. (Issue B’ 1398/01.03.2024), and who had reservations for more than one room in the hotels evacuated due to the forest fires on the island of Rhodes in July of the year 2023 are issued equal to the number of rooms of their reservations in question e- voucher.
5. The subsidy through the e-voucher enables the beneficiaries to choose the accommodation providers themselves, but they must be hotels that have been included in the Register of Hospitality Hotels of article 4 of no. 3898 K.Y.A. (Issue B’ 1398/01.03.2024), and return the e-voucher to the hotel for the hospitality services they receive.
6. The e-voucher is activated by signing a standardized contract between the Beneficiary and the Hospitality Company, which specifies, among other things: the exact period of stay and the type of room, as well as by entering the unique code in the special “Rodos Week” application carried by the “e-voucher” travel order (see Appendix II). The detailed procedure for binding the e-voucher is described in Part 4, Chapter A, paragraph 7 of this.
7. After 5/31/2024 and 11/15/2024, the end date of the spring and autumn seasons respectively, the e-voucher cannot be used. Therefore, the beneficiaries must take care of its activation in time, taking into account that the duration of their stay in the selected Hotel on the island of Rhodes should be exhausted by the end date of the program, with the last night on 31/5/2024 and 15/11 /2024 respectively.
8. The e-voucher is valid exclusively for the specific program until it expires.
9. For the payment of the financial assistance of the e-voucher beneficiary-recipient who made use of the provided accommodation service at the hotel hospitality business, the latter registers in the special application “Rodos Week” the unique code carried by the “e-voucher” travel arrangement and takes care for sending the required supporting documents described in Part 6 of the Present.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION OF HOTEL COMPANIES

• All Hotels operating legally on the island of Rhodes at the time of submitting the application and providing the hospitality service have the right to participate in the Program.