Tourism in Greece and Rhodes has been affected by a combination of violent protests, a forest fire and an air travel strike.

Eight flights to Athens scheduled for Thursday, December 11, have been cancelled as well as two to Salonika, and two to Crete-Rhodes. CY has said it is rescheduling the flights which were to take place before and after the strike. Olympic Airlines and Aegean are also planning to reschedule their Cyprus-Greece flights and around 2,000 passengers could be affected by the news.

A statement from the airline Aegean said: “Every effort is being made to re-accommodate passengers on flights on following days.”

Passengers should call them for details on + 30 210 6261000.

With workers from Greece’s other unions also planning strike action, visitors should be warned that many banks and the country’s public transport system could be adversely affected.
A huge forest fire in the Kameiros resort of Rhodes last week was fanned by high winds and fire fighters struggled to contain the blaze.
Although no homes were threatened, 24 fire fighters and 12 fire engines set about trying to put an end to the natural disaster. At the same time Rhodes firefighters were dealing with a smaller fire of burning bushes in the Glyfada area. Both these blazes started in the early hours of Thursday, December 4.
Those same high winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour were furthermore responsible for the ceasing of the Greek inter-island ferry service.
Meanwhile Rhodes has also felt the effects of almost a week of rioting by Greek students.
These armed protesters initially confronted Greek police outside of Athens polytechnic University with petrol bombs and stones following the shooting of a 15-year-old by Greek police recently.
Now into their fourth day, the destabilising force of the riots is being felt across the whole of Greece. In Rhodes police fired tear gas at protestors while in Crete police buildings have been pelted with stones.
Cabinet ministers on the island have declared a state of emergency and seem apparently unable to restore order in the country. Greek police have arrested the two officers involved in the shooting of the boy, but his recent funeral only served to further inflame the tensions.
Tourists hoping to travel to Greece are advised to consult their country’s foreign embassy for advice before travelling.

Reporter: Robert Frische