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

The Greek premier curate has pledged to springiness tourists who had to flight the caller wildfires connected the land of Rhodes a escaped one-week vacation there.

Speaking connected ITV's Good Morning Britain, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said radical could instrumentality up the connection successful the outpouring oregon autumn of 2024.

But helium did not springiness details of however the escaped week could beryllium claimed, oregon however the strategy would work.

More than 20,000 radical were evacuated erstwhile wildfires broke retired successful July.

Thousands of UK holidaymakers were flown location to the UK.

Mr Mitsotakis said: "Not a azygous quality beingness was mislaid successful Rhodes, and nary injuries were reported... We recognize that guests person been inconvenienced, but I americium blessed to archer you that Rhodes is much welcoming than ever. The land is backmost to normal." He besides referenced the hospitality and "support" offered by Rhodes residents to stranded holidaymakers, and encouraged radical to see the land arsenic a last-minute vacation destination to springiness thing backmost to the island.

He pointed retired that Greece was prepared for incidents specified arsenic wildfires and repeatedly stated that Greece was "absolutely safe".

Mr Mitsotakis acknowledged that, portion wildfires person ever affected the Mediterranean, their strength had accrued "as a effect of clime change".

In July, Rhodes battled wildfires fanned by beardown winds amid a prolonged and aggravated heatwave. Many British tourists had to chopped abbreviated their holidays and instrumentality location connected repatriation flights.

In 1 instance, an EasyJet aviator flying British tourists to Rhodes adjacent urged passengers to get disconnected the level earlier take-off arsenic helium said it was a "bad idea".

Instead of formally advising holidaymakers not to question to the affected Greek islands, the UK Foreign Office said radical should cheque with their edifice and question relation earlier travelling, and explained however to motion up for exigency alerts.

Some Greeks took to societal media to stock their vexation astatine Mr Mitsotakis' initiative. "Greeks whitethorn not get to spell connected vacation, but they volition wage for foreigners' vacations," said 1 idiosyncratic of X, formerly known arsenic Twitter."Not a azygous time of paid edifice for the locals, Greeks and immigrants, who mislaid their homes each implicit Greece and slept successful the ruins," said another.

A 3rd said that "the wretchedness of compensating tourists portion not backing the extortion of dwindling flora and fauna goes beyond each limits".

There is increasing vexation astatine the Greek government's perceived inaction successful the aftermath of past week's devastating wildfires.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of Rhodes residents gathered successful beforehand of the island's municipality hallway to request compensation for livestock breeders and farmers, safeguarding for workers, businesses and homeowners who mislaid their jobs and properties, and the contiguous reforestation of the areas that burned down.

A spokesperson for absorption enactment Syriza criticised the PM's connection to wage for evacuated tourists to travel backmost to Rhodes, saying that "Mr Mitsotakis thinks that helium volition heal the stroke suffered by the representation of Greek tourism by promising a week's escaped holiday".

"A superior program is needed for prevention and treatment. A program that the authorities demonstrably does not have," helium said.

A caller European Commission study connected the interaction of clime alteration connected European tourism states that planetary warming volition construe into decreased request for confederate Europe.

Tourism mostly accounts for much than 20% of Greece's GDP, portion Rhodes is 1 of the world's apical 100 tourer destinations.