Fires a Blow to Rhodes’ Tourism Season as Cancelations Rise

Rhodes, Greece.

Fires burning for over a week on Rhodes are taking a toll on the island’s tourism industry as more countries issue travel warnings and tour operators cancel trips.

For the 10^th consecutive day, fires continue to burn on Rhodes, where authorities were forced earlier this week to issue evacuation orders. Thousands of tourists were forced to leave the island on repatriation flights.

Speaking to local island newspaper Rodiaki, Christos Michalakis, the president of the Dodecanese Tour Agencies, said bookings made for August and September were being canceled.

The fires on Rhodes have been covered extensively by international press tarnishing the island’s reputation, he said. On Wednesday, the Greek General Secretariat of Civil Protection extended a state of emergency order for the whole of Rhodes.

Photo source: Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection

At the same time, travel company Jet2 said all flights and holidays to Rhodes remain cancelled up to July 30. The company has also canceled  holidays to Gennadi and Kiotari in August. Blazes in the villages Vati and Gennadi rekindled over the night.

TUI is also canceling flights to Rhodes at least until July 28 and offering alternative holiday options or the chance to cancel for a full refund to customers due to travel up to July 30 anywhere on Rhodes.

Michalakis confirmed that cancellations concerned bookings from all source markets mainly for hotels in the southern part of the island.

Cancellations for both August and September

“There are cancellations for both August and September. Even if the hotels in southern Rhodes do open, customers are given the option to change holiday plans,” he said, adding that most vacationers do not wish to visit an island that has suffered such great disaster and are preferring to take advantage of alternatives and travel elsewhere.”

He added however, that most of the island’s hotels will be able to reopen in the coming days with the exception of three facilities damaged by fire which will most likely reopen in August. Most hotels, he said, suffered damage to the surrounding area and external infrastructure, including swimming pools, playgrounds, etc.

The head of Rhodes’ travel agencies referred to the impact of the fires on the island at the peak of the tourist season and said that hotels will be forced in view of dwindling bookings to announce offers. “August will no longer be a good month and July will come to an undesirable close,” he said.

Meanwhile, the UK, the Netherlands and Israel tightened travel guidance this week, warning against travel to Rhodes due to the high risk of fire.

On Wednesday, Rhodes Mayor Andonis Cambourakis said he suspected arson behind the “huge disaster, an unprecedented tragedy”, adding that he had taken legal action against everyone responsible and was submitting relevant video evidence.