Fires in Rhodes: holiday bonus for tourists who fled last July. But only if they book in low season. And in the hotel

Tourists forced to evacuate Rhodes hotels last July when the island was hit by devastating fires can receive compensation if they wish to stay on the Greek island again. This was announced by the Greek Ministry of Tourism. “From April 10, citizens of all nationalities who stayed in hotels evacuated during the forest fires in Rhodes in July 2023 can obtain financial assistance,” explains the ministry.

The compensation can be used for a new stay on the island, but not during the high season (June-September). Through a platform called Rodos Week, created by the ministry, interested tourists, contacted by tour operators, will be able to register to obtain a bonus for seven consecutive days (and six nights) in a hotel of the same category (number of stars) and in a type of room equivalent to the one they were staying in at the time of the fires. Beneficiaries will be entitled to vouchers worth 300 euros for a six-night stay in a double room in a three-star hotel, i.e. 50 euros per night. For a six-night stay in a family room in a five-star hotel, the aid rises to 500 euros.

However, tourists who were staying in holiday homes at the time of the fires will not be able to benefit from the offer.

Beneficiaries, as mentioned, will have to book holidays in spring until May 31st or in autumn between October 1st and November 15th.

In July 2023, at the height of the heat wave, a fire ravaged nearly 17,770 hectares in southern Rhodes, the popular island destination in the Aegean Sea (southeast), over a period of ten days, according to the European Copernicus Observatory (EMS). Around 20,000 people, mostly foreign tourists, had to be evacuated from the island, which lies near the Turkish coast. Many returned home urgently.