Last updated: 25 July 2023
Extreme temperatures are affecting many areas of Greece and there are a number of active forest fires on the islands of Rhodes (in particular Kiotari, Pefkoi, Lindos and the surrounding areas), Corfu (in particular Santa, Megoula, Porta, Palia, Perithia and Sinies) and in Evia.
These forest fires have spread significantly over the weekend with specialist fire-fighting support being brought in from other countries.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have not changed their travel advice to the region. Instead, they continue to provide updates from the Greek authorities and advice on how to stay safe on the islands.
As there is no FCDO advice against travel to any part of Greece, including Rhodes and Corfu, if you no longer want to travel or are wanting to return home sooner, then please contact your travel provider to enquire about alternative travel dates.
There is no cover under our policy for not wanting to travel or not wanting to remain on a trip.
Speak to your carrier for updated travel information before travelling to the airport or point of international departure. If you are in the area please follow the advice of the local authorities.
If you have not yet travelled and cannot as a result of this incident, for example, if your travel provider/carrier has cancelled the flight, please contact your travel provider for a full refund. If your travel company cannot refund you your money, you may be able to ask them to rearrange your holiday destination or date.
If you choose to cancel your trip of your own accord, your policy may not cover you for any cancellation costs that you could incur. Please refer to your policy wording document for details of the cover provided.
If you have cut-short your trip as a result of this event, then please speak with your tour-operator/ travel provider in the first instance regarding any payment that you may be entitled to as a result of curtailing your holiday. If you have any pre-booked travel, accommodation or unused excursions that cannot be refunded by the tour operator or travel provider, then you may be able to make a claim for reimbursement from your credit or debit card provider, PayPal or under another payment protection scheme, where applicable.
There is no cover available under the terms of our policy for this situation.
If you have bought a single trip policy and you cannot now travel because of transport services being suspended or cancelled and are not submitting a claim, then AWP Assistance UK Ltd will refund your policy premium in full. Please in the first instance apply for this refund to the company that issued your policy.
If you have bought a single trip policy and you would like to travel to another destination or on another date, please contact the Customer Services telephone number shown in your policy wording document so that the appropriate changes can be made for you. An additional premium may be payable for any increase in trip duration or change in destination country.
If you have been forced to leave your non-essential possessions in your accommodation due to evacuation, and your luggage is not recoverable we understand and accept that you may not have had the opportunity to complete a police report.
In cases where the hotel was not ultimately affected by fire, baggage should be returned to you, but you may need to take the necessary steps such as contacting the hotel to ensure this takes place. We can support you in doing this but please be aware that your policy would not provide cover for charges to return the baggage to you.
If you need to claim for your unrecoverable personal belongings in the event that the hotel has been damaged by fire we will consider a claim, subject to the usual documentation requirements and checks that are detailed in the policy wording.
We will also consider claims for the remaining value of irrecoverable passports that had to be left behind when evacuating. Not having your passport should not result in any delays in returning to the UK, as the FCDO is arranging repatriation with emergency documentation.
If you have any further questions about what is or isn’t covered under your policy in relation to the forest fires in Greece, please contact us directly.
If you are in immediate danger then you should contact the Greek emergency services on 112.
For less immediate queries and assistance for UK citizens in affected regions you can contact the Greek Government’s Crisis Management Unit or the British Consulate on the details below:
