;Resize=(1200,627)&impolicy=perceptual&quality=mediumHigh&hash=e769aaf4a1a579a940c09482c979dc934c2da0f390bebd20ab9b88921af79278 "TUI stops flights to Rhodes – travelers need to know that now")
Rhodes is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece. Many Germans also visit the island. According to a spokeswoman for the German Travel Association (DRV), there are currently around 20,000 holidaymakers from Germany on the island.
Have you booked a holiday to Rhodes?
In view of the devastating forest fires, the German tour operator TUI has announced that it will no longer bring holidaymakers to the island. Instead, people are to be flown back from the island. The ban will initially apply until Tuesday.
But other tour operators also want to inform travelers who have booked holidays to Rhodes for the next few days about the current status of their trip. At the request of FOCUS online, the German Travel Association said that those affected should contact the organizers if they have not already done so.
Can I cancel my holiday free of charge?
In principle, package holidaymakers have the right to cancel without fees if their trip is foreseeably significantly affected by unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances. A fire near the hotel with ash and smoke in the air would be such a reason, says lawyer Roosbeh Karimi from Berlin.
Individual travelers could not rely on canceling free of charge.
If the trip only starts in a few weeks, there is no right to free cancellation, even for package holidaymakers. Karimi advises canceling at short notice if necessary. Because it should not be possible to predict with certainty when the fires will be extinguished.
Already on Rhodes? That applies to your vacation
More than 19,000 people have been evacuated in the past few days, the Greek news agency APE/MPA reports. Around 16,000 people were rescued by land by Sunday noon. Another 3,000 people came to safety on neighboring islands with patrol boats, ships and the water police.
According to Nicole Bahn from the Bremen consumer advice center, if the problems only arise during the trip on a package holiday, there are two options: Contract quit and travel home or reduce the travel price.
The German Embassy in Athens can be reached by German vacationers in the Fire Region on the telephone number: 0030 693 23 381 53 (on-call service) and 0030 210 72 85 111 (information).
At the same time, a crisis unit was set up. You can reach them on 0030 210 36 81 259 and on the telephone number 0030 210 36 81 350.
How can I cancel my trip – or reduce the price?
The best way for holidaymakers to terminate the contract is to contact their tour operator by telephone. He then has to clarify how and from where the return journey takes place. The phone call is considered a resignation. The question of how this journey home is secured must also be clarified. In addition, the consumer advocate recommends holidaymakers for their own safety to confirm the cancellation of the trip by e-mail.
If vacationers still want to stay in the region, option two applies. Then the travel price may be reduced. This is as soon as individual travel services such as transport, meals and accommodation no longer correspond to the booked standard.
The following applies to individual travelers (according to German law): You do not have to pay for the services already booked, such as flights and accommodation, if they are not provided.