The Greek Prime Minister is offering Brits who fled Rhodes during wildfires a free week’s break next year to tempt them back to the island.
Newly elected leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday where he acknowledged the latest blazes - which claimed the lives of at least three people - have become more intense due to climate change.
He also said some of the around 20,000 people who were evacuated before their holiday ended will be entitled to a free week’s holiday next spring or autumn.
It remains unclear how it will be funded or how Brits will have to prove they fled the wildfires that swept the small island.
Mr Mitsotakis said: “For all of those whose holidays were cut short as a result of the wildfires, the Greek government – in cooperation with the local authorities – will offer one week of free holidays on Rhodes next spring and next fall, so that we make sure that they come back to the island and that they enjoy its natural beauty.”
While the unusually hot weather, with highs of 38°C in some areas, has created conditions for the fires to spread, it’s believed that the fires on both Rhodes and Corfu may have been started as a result of arson.
The Greek prime minister added: “We have no active wildfires as we speak and the weather for the next 15 days looks relatively benign.
“We’ve always had the wildfires in the Mediterranean for millennia.
“What has changed over the past years as a result of climate change is their intensity.
“We understand that this caused some inconvenience for visitors, but I’m happy to report that Rhodes today is more welcoming than ever.”
A spokesperson for Tui said: “We are aware of the kind offer from the Greek government and we are awaiting further information.”
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Beginning in the forests on the islands, the fires spread throughout the island before beginning to threaten resorts in the south of Rhodes.
Mr Mitsotakis previously paid tribute to Captain Christos Moulas, 34, and his co-pilot, Second Lieutenant Periklis Stefanidis, 27, who died in a brave effort to put out a fire on Evia. The 41-year-old farmer who died was burned to death on the same island.
