TUI says it’s working out the details of the Greek Government’s offer to provide free holidays to some of the thousands of people who were evacuated from their hotels in Rhodes due to last month’s wildfires.
The Greek Prime Minister announced the freebies when he appeared on ITV’s morning news programme Good Morning Britain on Wednesday.
He said some 20,000 holidaymakers whose trips were cut short due to the wildfires in the southeast of the island will be offered ‘one free week’ next spring or autumn.
But his revelation appears to have taken some in the industry by surprise, with no further details about the free holidays revealed.
Eleni Skarveli, Director of the Greece National Tourist Office in the UK and Ireland told Travel Gossip this morning: “We are waiting for the PM cabinet to send us all the clarifications.”
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We appreciate this gesture from the Greek Government towards the holidaymakers affected by the wildfires on Rhodes.
“We are currently working out the details together with the Greek Government and will inform our customers as soon as we have more information.”
Travel Gossip has also asked Jet2 for a comment.
Meanwhile, several hotels in Rhodes have been keen to update travel agents on the situation on the island, only 15% of which was affected by the fires.
One, Atrium Hotels & Resorts, which owns three five-star hotels in Rhodes, told Travel Gossip all of them are open and operating normally.
“At all of our hotels today, the sun is shining, cocktails are being shaken, exquisite food it being prepared and our fantastic team continue to extend our traditional ‘philoxenia’ authentic Greek hospitality at its very best,”said Group Commercial Manager Costas Giakoumis.
However, the Rodos Princess Beach Resort & Spa has confirmed that, due to damage caused by the fire, it will not reopen until next year. In a message posted on social media, the staff said: “We will be ready though for summer 2024. We will be ready to welcome you back again to create new memories and moments, as we have done for the past 30 years.”