GREECE IS OFFERING FREE HOTEL ROOMS TO TOURISTS AFFECTED BY 2023 RHODES WILDFIRES

Travelers must plan their stay at a participating hotel either from now through May 31 or from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.

Greece will offer a free hotel stay to travelers who were affected by last summer’s devastating fires on the island of Rhodes.

Travelers who stayed in a hotel that was evacuated during the wildfires in July 2023 can now apply for a free hotel stay for seven days, six nights, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Travelers must plan their stay at a participating hotel either from now through May 31 or from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.

“The scheme is up and running as the prime minister promised,” the Greek tourism ministry’s general secretary, Myron Flouris, told the Guardian. “It’s been a very complicated process not least, I think, because we’re the first country in the world to do this.”

To take advantage, travelers must apply online and provide information on where they stayed during last year’s fires, the room type they booked, their reservation number, and the duration of their reservation. Eligible travelers will then receive a week-long stay “in a hotel of similar category (star rating) and room type to the one they stayed in during the fires.”

Travelers who were affected by the fires and take advantage of the program will receive different amounts of compensation in the form of an e-voucher based on the type of hotel and room:

  • €300 per stay for 1-, 2-, and 3-star hotels and up to triple room type
  • €400 per stay for 1-, 2-, and 3-star hotels and above triple room type
  • €400 per stay for 4- and 5-star hotels and up to a triple room type
  • €500 per stay for 4- and 5-star hotels and above triple room type

The wildfires in Rhodes were sparked by an intense heatwave last summer that blanketed much of Europe. As a result, both residents and tourists were forced to evacuate as flames scorched the island, including damaging an inland nature reserve, according to The Associated Press.

Today, tourists who visit Rhodes will find the same gorgeous beaches, boating opportunities, and picturesque cobblestoned streets of the Jewish quarter that drew travelers to the largest of the Dodecanese islands in the first place.

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2024-04-15T17:11:02Z dg43tfdfdgfd