Travel update issued for Tourist planning summer holidays in Greece

The Civil Protection Ministry has warned of a “very high risk” of fire in six of the country’s 13 regions on Saturday.

In its daily fire risk prediction map, the ministry’s General Secretariat of Civil Protection said the areas most at risk were Attica; Central Greece (Viotia, Evia); the Peloponnese (Argolida, Corinthia); South Aegean (Kos, Kalymnos, Rhodes, Karpathos), North Aegean (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria) and Crete Crete (Iraklio, Lasithi).

Travel alerts have been released by the Foreign Office for British holidaymakers wanting to get away to Greece but are often updated in real time.

What is the travel guidance for Greece?

The Greek wildfires devastated wildlife, animals and thousands trying to flee the island of Rhodes.

As a result, on July 25 the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued new travel information for those wanting to go to Mediterranean country.

The office has warned that the wildfires across the country are still active and are ‘highly dangerous and unpredictable’.

It is also advised that you contact your accommodation provider as well as your travel operator prior to travelling to ensure your holiday and journey is not impacted and to also check your insurance is appropriate.

It is recommended that you follow 112 Greece for official updates on the ever-changing situation. 

Guidance for people near wildfires in Greece 

• Follow the guidance of the emergency services
• Call the Greek Emergency Services on 112 if you are in immediate danger
• Contact your airline or travel operator who can assist you with return travel to the UK.
• Enable the ‘Emergency Alerts’ option to receive the Greek government’s emergency alerts. For:
• iPhones go to Settings > Notification. Enable the ‘Emergency Alerts’ option at the bottom.
• Android 11 and higher go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings > Wireless Emergency Alerts
• Samsung Devices go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Notifications > Emergency Notifications. Enable the ‘Emergency Alerts’ option
• Read the Greek Government’s protection guidelines in the event of a forest fire.
• Register via the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service (in Greek)

Source: UK The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office