Tourists who fled the Rhodes fires are granted free holidays by Greece.

Greece said on Wednesday that government will give tourists whose vacations were cut short by flames that blazed for days on the island in July, destroying houses and hotels and compelling many to flee, a week's free stay on Rhodes in 2024.

Greece's economy, which recovered from a fiscal crisis in 2018, is mostly driven by tourism, and Rhodes, the ninth-largest island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, is a well-liked vacation destination.

The fire started on July 18 near the centre of Rhodes, and after being fanned by high winds, it quickly moved to the island's eastern and southern shore, which is home to several beach resorts. Based on reports from Greece, this was the biggest evacuation operation ever carried out in the nation.

More than 20,000 visitors and residents had no choice but to leave their houses and hotels beside the sea.

The fires that erupted only impacted 15% of Rhodes, according to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who spoke to Britain's ITV on Wednesday. He said that things are "back to normal" today, although officials "understand that it caused some inconvenience for visitors."

“In order to ensure that they return to the island and take in its natural beauty, the Greek government, in conjunction with local authorities, will provide one week of free vacation time on Rhodes, either in the spring or the fall of the following year.” Kyriakos added.

Wildfires in the Mediterranean region are not unique, according to Mitsotakis, but climate change has made them more intense.

A preliminary evaluation of the effects of the Rhodes fires revealed, as reported by Greek officials, that 45 houses on the island had suffered damage.

(Sources: investing.com, reuters.com)