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As much as 25,000 vacationers who had been evacuated from the Rhodes wildfires in 2023 could possibly be eligible for a “free” vacation beneath a brand new compensation scheme from Greece’s authorities.
As of this week, hundreds of primarily British holidaymakers are entitled to recompense as promised by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis final yr following the July blazes.
In an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in August, Mitsotakis stated: “Rhodes as we speak is extra welcoming than ever, the island is again to regular.
“The Greek authorities will provide one week of free vacation on Rhodes subsequent spring or fall for all of these whose vacation was reduce brief because of the wildfires.”
Thedigital vouchers, redeemable instantly from the Greek authorities, will cowl every week’s lodge lodging price as much as €500 (£428).
Myron Flouris, the Greek tourism ministry’s basic secretary, informed The Guardian that introducing the laws has been a “very sophisticated course of”, including that Greece is “the primary nation on the planet” to implement such a scheme.
There might be two phases for these affected to redeem the initiative, from now till 31 Could and from 1 October to fifteen November.
Tourism officers in Rhodes say that over 5,000 of the impacted travellers have to this point registered on the compensation scheme for vouchers ranging between €300 and €500.
The precise compensation acquired will mirror the unique quantity paid by vacationers to vacation suppliers, and those that booked personal homestay lodging, reminiscent of Airbnb, is not going to be eligible to say a voucher.
Coastguard vessels, personal boats and repatriation flights evacuated vacationers from the Greek vacation island with a number of travellers pressured to shelter in sports activities stadiums and airports as Rhodes went up in flames.
At an EU tourism discussion board held in Rhodes this week, European journey and tourism our bodies signed a local weather change declaration to prioritise sustainable tourism.
Mr Mitsotakis stated the declaration was necessary to “spotlight probably the most vital concern dealing with tourism as we speak”.
