"Regret Over Trip Ruined by Wildfire... Greece Offers Generous Compensation with Free Vacation for Tourists"

Popular Resort Prepaid Tourism Not Allowed
"Will Provide One Week Free Vacation"
Application Method and Period Undecided

As a massive wildfire struck Rhodes Island, considered Greece's top holiday destination, the Greek Prime Minister announced that tourists whose vacations were ruined by the fire would be compensated with a free one-week holiday.

On the 2nd (local time), Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with the UK’s ITV broadcast, "For everyone whose vacation was shortened due to the wildfire, the Greek government, in cooperation with local authorities, will offer a free one-week holiday on Rhodes Island either next spring or autumn." However, the exact method or period for tourists to claim the free holiday has not yet been specified.

Rhodes Island, with a population of about 100,000, is one of Greece’s representative travel destinations favored by British and German tourists. However, due to the wildfire that broke out on Rhodes Island on the 17th of last month, more than 20,000 residents, including tourists staying on the island, evacuated to safe areas. Most of the tourists who evacuated at that time were British, and some of them were reported to be staying in shelters set up in gyms and school buildings in the northern part of the island.

On the 26th of last month (local time), a large wildfire broke out on the Greek island of Rhodes, with flames raging fiercely. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

As concerns grew over a decline in tourist visits, Prime Minister Mitsotakis personally took on tourism promotion. Tourism accounts for about 25% of Greece’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Prime Minister Mitsotakis emphasized that despite the large wildfire, the damaged area was less than 15% of the entire Rhodes Island. He said, "The island has fully returned to normal," adding, "Although we caused inconvenience to visitors, I am pleased to share the news that Rhodes Island welcomes tourists more than ever and has returned to normal."

Meanwhile, Greek authorities recently reported that most of the wildfires were caused by arson or negligence, and they have decided to strengthen penalties against arsonists. In Greece, about 1,470 wildfires occurred nationwide last month alone.

Vasilis Kikilias, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, said in an interview with Greece’s public broadcaster ERT on the 31st of last month that fines for arsonists would be increased to over 30,000 euros (about 43 million KRW). Previously, fines for arsonists ranged from 300 euros (about 430,000 KRW) to a maximum of 5,000 euros (about 7.12 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.