ABTA Chief Mark Tanzer has thanked the Greek authorities for their efforts in arranging the ‘swift’ evacuation of British tourists from Greek islands during the recent wildfires.

He also thanked the ‘ongoing brave work of their firefighting teams’.

Mark added: “The hospitality and help offered by local people reflects their natural compassion and the strong relationship that exists between our two countries.” 

He said: “The wildfires in certain areas of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia have been very difficult and upsetting for the local people and holidaymakers affected.

“We have been working closely with our members, the UK and Greek authorities as well as other stakeholders to support the crisis response.”

ABTA has been providing regular operational updates to members during the crisis, he said, providing the latest information on what is happening in destinations and information from UK and Greek authorities.

The trade body has also convened a series of conference calls, bringing together members, the Foreign Office, and the Greek National Tourist Office to discuss situational updates, share insights and other operational intelligence. 

Also, ABTA spokespeople have given 38 interviews on the wildfires, which have been syndicated hundreds of times across local and national radio stations.

“Through our media engagement we’ve sought to provide clarification on what is happening and what it means for customers, explaining their rights and how package holidays customers have greater protection in these circumstances,” added Mark.

“Our spokespeople also stressed how hard ABTA members are working to support their customers affected by the wildfires.”

ABTA has published two advice pages on abta.com to provide advice directly to customers, Rhodes wildfires and Corfu wildfires, which have been shared on social media.