Agents praise industry's response to Rhodes fires and play down long-term impact on clients
Ilaria Grasso MacolaAgents have praised the response of Britain’s operators and airlines to the wildfire crisis in Greece, and played down the long-term impact of the situation on tourism to the country’s islands – albeit while recognising the fires are likely to start fresh conversations around the impact of climate change on travel.
The industry has embarked on a major repatriation operation in recent days after wildfires in Rhodes, Corfu and Evia forced thousands of holidaymakers to flee their hotels and holiday villas.
Greek authorities ordered almost 20,000 people in Rhodes to evacuate central and southern areas of the island scorches by the wildfires, while 2,500 people were led to safety in northern Corfu. In Evia, authorities have evacuated residents and holidaymakers situated in the south of the island.
Major operators and airlines, including Jet2holidays, easyJet holidays and Tui, have cancelled holidays to the affected islands, using scheduled flights to instead fly out crisis teams and more on-the-ground support, while using these aircraft to repatriate stranded holidaymakers
Jet2.com and Jet2holidays will operate a four repatriation flights from Rhodes on Monday evening (24 July), while easyJet said it would operate a further two to Gatwick on top of its regular schedule. Tui, meanwhile, flew an additional six aircraft to Rhodes to assist.
Several agents told TTG they were impressed by the response. “I think the tour operators and airlines are doing really well as it’s an incredible situation that has developed really quickly,” said Thorne Travel director Shona Thorne. “We’ve contacted a couple [of them], and they’ve given us the most up-to-date situation.”
Seaside Travel owner Nicola Evans said Jet2holidays had been “absolutely amazing” helping her and her team navigate the situation, adding it was her belief the industry had become more resilient post-Covid likening these kind of stressful situations to “a walk in the park" compared with the pandemic
The agents TTG spoke to were united in their belief that while the wildfires may dent confidence in the short-term, especially among families with young children and those with illnesses, the situation would not have an ever-lasting impact on tourism to Greece once things calm down.
“It looked like an unbelievably scary situation for everybody involved,” said Idle Travel director Tony Mann. “So without a doubt it’s going to have an effect on people, but I don’t think it will have a very big effect on other areas of Greece."
Evans said travellers would not be put off going to Greece, despite the extreme – and prolonged – heatwave experienced across large parts of the Mediterranean in recent weeks and months, including in destinations like Spain’s Costa del Sol and Sicily.
“I think that if they’re sensible travellers, they’re not going to be put off going to Greece in the long-term,” Evans told TTG.
Nevertheless, Thorne said the wildfires were likely to result in more conversations about the impact of climate change on travel – and could prompt people to book their holidays to Greece earlier or later in the year.
“I think there’s going to be much more chat [with customers] about climate change going forward,” said Thorne. “There will probably be much more attention paid to it.”
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