Thousands of Brits can now get a ‘free’ holiday to Greece – here’s how
AS MANY as 25,000 tourists could get a ‘free’ holiday to Greece this year – with the majority being Brits.
The new scheme, confirmed by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has finally launched after it was first announced last year.
Called “Rodos Week,” the free trips are following the wildfires across Rhodes last year, which saw thousands of people evacuated.
In response, anyone who was evacuated can claim up to €500 voucher to be used on accommodation on the island.
The website states: “Beneficiaries can be all adult individuals, regardless of nationality, who were staying in hotels evacuated during the wildfires on the island of Rhodes in July 2023.”
The initiative is running for two periods this year, between now and May 31 and October 1 to November 15.
Around 25,000 tourists were evacuated last year, with as many as 10,000 Brits affected.
More than 5,000 tourists have already signed up for the scheme.
The prime minister said it was a complicated process as they were the “first country in the world” to offer it.
Head of the Rhodes hoteliers union Yannis Papavasiliou told the Guardian: “Anyone who was staying in areas that were affected by the fires is eligible.
“The response has been very good and we are told will be even stronger come the autumn.”
Sara van Oostrum is one Brit who has already signed up for the scheme, after her family were evacuated from Rhodes last summer.
She said: “We’ll take up the offer, and we’ll spend money on the island.”
Brits who are eligible for the scheme can apply here, although it only applies to hotels, not private houses.
Both TUI and Thomas Cook has said customers will need to contact Greek authorities for the vouchers.
Flights to Rhodes can be found for as little as £14.99 from the UK, with Ryanair flights from Birmingham, East Midlands, London Stansted, Edinburgh and Manchester.
EasyJet flies to Rhodes from seven UK airports, with the cheapest fares from London Gatwick that start from £39.99.
As many as 4.5million Brits visited Greece last year, with it one of the most popular destinations in Europe.
If you fancy exploring other parts of Greece, there are lots of pretty islands you may not have heard of.
Amorgos is often compared to Mykonos and Santorini, but has fewer crowds.
How to apply for the free Rhodes vouchers
Here's everything you need to know about getting the free holiday vouchers for Rhodes in 2024
People who can apply must all adult individuals, regardless of nationality, who were staying in hotels evacuated during the wildfires on the island of Rhodes in July 2023.
In order to ensure your participation in the program, you need to register in the Registry of Beneficiaries and submit an application to take part in the program implementation.
People who are eligible are granted a one-time, week-long free stay (7 days) in a hotel of similar category (star rating) and room type to the one they stayed in during the fires.
The specific financial support is provided as a travel voucher (e-voucher), including a monetary value equal to what the beneficiary is entitled to, as described below.
Specifically, the compensation amounts of the hotels, for the free of charge accommodation of 7 (seven) days of the beneficiaries, are defined as follows:
- for hotels with 1, 2, or 3 stars and up to triple room type: €300 for the entire stay,
- for hotels with 1, 2, or 3 stars and above triple room type: €400 for the entire stay,
- for hotels with 4 or 5 stars and up to triple room type: €400 for the entire stay,
- for hotels with 4 or 5 stars and above triple room type: €500 for the entire stay.
The holder of the e-voucher will have to contact the hotel to confirm the availability of the room with any additional features they desire, giving the unique reservation number.
There is also Parga, which has multicoloured houses and award-winning beaches.
And the Sun’s Ingo Hippisley visited Naxos last year – here’s what she though.