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Athens Wildfires Rage During Greece’s Peak Travel Season

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Athens Wildfires Rage During Greece’s Peak Travel Season

Skift Take

If Greece doesn’t get the wildfires under control, tourism could decline in the coming months.

Dawit Habtemariam

Amid Greece’s peak travel season, raging wildfires near Athens are putting tour operators on high alert.

On Monday, Greece’s government ordered towns and suburbs near Athens to evacuate. The U.S. Embassy in Greece sent out a natural disaster alert warning American travelers in Greece.

So far, tour operators are monitoring the situation and there has been only one cancellation. “Safety is our priority and to date we have only cancelled one excursion with 6 people,” said a spokesperson for tour operator TUI.

G Adventures and Intrepid Travel have not seen an impact to their tours yet. “Operations will be ready to alter tours if necessary but as of now groups scheduled to arrive into Athens next week will continue,” said Matt Berna, presidents of the Americas for Intrepid Travel.

The wildfires started on Sunday in the northeast Athens, burning homes and businesses, injuring at least 15 people and sending smoke and ash over the capital, reported the Associated Press. The flames have reached a reported 80 feet.

Several European Union member states are sending air and ground assistance to help Greece contain the wildfires.

Greece has been one of the most popular destinations in Europe this year. International arrivals to Greece during the first half of 2024 are up over 20% from 2019 levels, according to the European Travel Commission. Greece had 32.7 million international arrivals in 2023, according to UN Tourism.

Greece’s Struggles With Climate Change

Hundreds of fires have broken out in Greece since May due to rising hot and dry weather conditions, reported Reuters. This past summer has one of the hottest and driest on record. At least five tourists have died and the Acropolis temporarily shut down due the recent heatwave.

Heatwaves were a top driver of negative traveler sentiment toward Greece in the second quarter, according to research by the Institute of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises.

To support disaster relief efforts, Greece replaced its hotel tax with a climate resilience fee between March and October.

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