The UK Government has confirmed that despite this weekend’s national media headlines, the wildfires on the holiday island of Rhodes are limited to an area in the south-east of the island – nearly an hours drive away (44km) from the capital city and over 40 minutes away (32km) from the popular holiday resort of Faliraki.
In fact, despite the imagery seen across national media this weekend, the wildfires are affecting only 10% of the island and only 20% of holidaymakers (who have booked to stay in affected areas) have had their holidays disrupted.
Most hotels on Rhodes, located away from the south-east of the island remain open, with airlines continuing to fly in foreign tourists for their summer holidays, the majority of which are unaffected.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our advice is focused on the safety of British nationals and enabling people to make an informed decision about the situation on the ground.
“The current situation is impacting only a limited area in Rhodes and while it’s right to keep it under review and it’s possible that the advice may change, we do not want to act out of proportion to the situation on the ground.”
