“I have booked a flight to Rhodes for August 6th. Can I now go on holiday to Rhodes as normal?” Such or similar messages reach the editorial staff of FOCUS online almost every day. The uncertainty is not unfounded.
For more than eleven days there was a fire on the popular holiday island, around 19,000 tourists had to be evacuated, tour operators even stopped air traffic to the island. The situation around the regions of Laerma, Asklipio, Lardos and Vati is particularly bad. This was the focus of the devastating fires.
Although the fire also came dangerously close to the tourist strongholds of Gennadi and Kiotari, most hotel complexes and forest areas were saved. In these cities, the fire had spread to the surrounding neighboring regions and the access roads.
What should I be prepared for on the Rhodes holiday?
In principle, all tour operators fly to the holiday island again. The island is safe, emphasize the local authorities. The clean-up work is still ongoing. Employees of the luxury hotel chain Mitsis on the island of Rhodes said on request that the service had been increased and that trips to the interior of the island were also organized – far away from the fire areas.
So you want to focus on what makes a holiday direct. “There are indeed tourists, mainly from Germany and Great Britain, who want to visit the fire areas. We refuse such excursions,” says a receptionist. However, there are other hotels that even organize shuttle buses there.
All over the island, even in the very north, there are cancellations in hotels and holiday apartments. This is also the case with Alexis Georgiou, provider of an Airbnb apartment near the Asklipio fire area. “Unfortunately, you can see the burned areas from the rooms. We tell our guests that too, so they won’t be disappointed. Many then cancel.”
The entrepreneur estimates that it will be at least 20 years before green areas can be seen again. Anyone who has booked an apartment with a balcony and is now looking at the burnt areas will get a discount on rental cars or other services such as taxi transfers to the airport.
Can I cancel my holiday in Rhodes?
Yes – but it is now also more expensive, because tour operators have largely lifted all goodwill rules on July 31st. In addition, the state of emergency on the island no longer applies and all tourist structures are largely intact.
Also read on the subject: Many cancellations – no Rhodes trips until August? Travelers need to know that
If you want to completely cancel your holiday on the island of Rhodes, you have to expect high processing fees and only get a fraction of the travel costs reimbursed.
The situation is different when travelers want to rebook their vacation in other regions of the island. If you even move the trip to the off-season, you don’t have to pay any additional fees in many cases.
This was the result of a random check by FOCUS online over the weekend at the two largest travel providers TUI, Der Touristik and Schauinsland.