The tourists affected by the forest fires in Rhodes will receive a week of free accommodation on the island, according to the Greek Prime Minister.
Claes Pellvik, communications manager at Ving, explains who is covered by the offer.
– This applies to the guests who were in the fire-affected southern parts of Rhodes and who were evacuated on Saturday and during the evening and night towards Sunday, he says.
It was on Wednesday that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that the tourists affected by the forest fires in Rhodes are being offered a week’s free holiday on the island. For tour operator Ving, the news came as a surprise.
– We were a bit taken aback, but at the same time it is a very good proof of the hospitality that the Greeks show, says Claes Pellvik, who states that they got in touch with the Greek authorities in connection with the announcement.
Ving will help
The guests who are offered a new holiday week on the island thus include those who were in the fire-affected areas and who were evacuated during the weekend – and the offer applies either in the autumn or in the spring of 2024, according to the prime minister.
According to Claes Pellvik, it is Ving, via the Greek authorities, who will mediate the accommodation so that guests get it as “simple and smooth as possible”.
– But we don’t have all the details yet, but we have a dialogue with the Greek tourism authorities about how exactly we should do it. They have promised us that it will be a smooth process, and we will of course help our guests who are covered by this so that they don’t have to mess up unnecessarily with reservations and so on, he says.
Will Ving replace its passengers?
– The guests who were affected will of course be compensated for the part of the holiday that did not turn out as planned – we have a generous approach to that. Likewise, for those guests whose trips were canceled and unable to travel because they had booked a trip to the fire-affected parts, a number of them have already received their money back.
– We and the industry do everything to ensure that you don’t run out of money.
“Convinced that Prime Minister Mitsotakis stands by his word”
When asked how safe one can be as a traveler when it comes to the free accommodation, Claes Pellvik says that he trusts the Prime Minister’s message.
– I am sure that Prime Minister Mitsotakis stands by his word and that this will be resolved.