BRITS have been offered free holidays to Rhodes, 2024 in order to help make up for all the damage caused by wildfires.
The raging fire that devastated the island of Crete last month forced over 20,000 tourists and residents to flee.
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Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisted the island is now “back to normal” .
He has offered free holidays for a week next year to those who had to shorten their trips.
Mitsotakis told ITV: “For all of those whose holidays were cut short as a result of the wildfires, the Greek government… will offer one week of free holidays on Rhodes Next “We will make sure that they return to the island in spring or fall next year and experience its natural beauty.”
The Greek authorities, according to PM Dimitris Mitsotakis “understand that this may have caused inconvenience to visitors”.
Now, islanders are fighting to get back tourists to the island. Tourism is the key driver of the local economy.
On July 18, a fire broke out in Rhodes, and spread quickly to the area’s eastern and southern coastlines – a region with many resorts.
Greek officials claimed that it was by far the biggest evacuation attempt the country has faced.
The flames burned for nearly a week as Greece was battered by a spell of extreme heat that made it challenging to contain the blaze.
The scenes were extraordinary, with holidaymakers attempting to flee while carrying luggage and their children.
British refugees were forced to spend the night in camps set up across the island, with children sleeping on mattresses inside classrooms and gymnasiums.
Recent aerial photos show miles of burnt land and trees surrounding stretches of beaches.
As the fire spread, it scorched vast swathes and even reached villages and cities.
British Embassy officials in Athens asked Brits to get out of the area, as flights and vacations were cancelled.
Ian Morrison from London was in Kiotari when the sea became “blackened with soot”. Ash was also falling over people’s head.
The man told the story of his journey to Gennadi, which included walking miles in order to reach it.Sky NewsOver the following hours, people in the area increased.
The people were more and more worried as the night fell.
The flames were threatening to catch him.
The minibus that James Beale and his partner were travelling in was halted for six hours.
The Central Recorder reported that “all of the skyline had become covered in smoke. Police and fire engines blew past us and then we could not see anything.”
The driver did not speak English, and we were completely clueless about what was going on.
As they waited to get on their flight, the people never got back to the hotel. Instead, they slept in a hotel room on a floor sheet.
Now, trauma counseling is available to Brits visiting the United States.
TUI provides free confidential counseling from the Centre for Crisis Psychology.
It previously provided counselling to survivors of the Tunisia beach massacre in 2015, in which 30 Brits were shot dead by a gunman.
The email said the advice — following an “extraordinary difficult” and “distressing” few days — was “there for you to call upon”.
The company is also offering full refunds and a £250 voucher per person towards a future holiday with the firm.
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