Highly impressed by the Municipality of Rhodes which, with the help of the government and in cooperation with local agencies, dynamically took the situation into its own hands and restored tourism to normality in Rhodes, after the fire that recently broke out on the island, appeared the well-known Italian journalist Roberto Da Rinwho writes for the Italian newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore”.

The journalist visited the island from August 6-10, 2023accompanied by the Roditian employee of the Italian EOT Office Antonella Papanikola and staying at the Rodos Palace hotel.

The journalist’s familiarization trip to Rhodes was supported by the EOT and the Italian Foreign Service, in collaboration with the Municipality of Rhodes and the Tourism Directorate of the Municipality of Rhodes, within the framework of the Ministry of Tourism’s program to support Rhodian tourism.

And the newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore” according to the EOT is one of the most important daily political and economic newspapers in Italy, with 60,000 pages a day, while the newspaper’s website has huge traffic.

The Italian journalist Roberto Da Rin was impressed by the rapid return of Rhodes to tourist normality.

Let us not forget the organization and planning demonstrated from the first moment by the municipal authority, under the guidance of the Mayor of Rhodes, Antonis V. Kambourakis, who through personal meetings and in collaboration with government ministers (Yiannis Bratakos, Olga Kefalogiannis, Eleni Rapti, Christos Triandopoulos, Lefteris Avgenakis), officials of the EOT, as recently with the general secretary of the Organization Dimitris Fragakis) and local bodies, volunteers-heroes and ordinary citizens, through a series of actions, Rhodesian tourism managed to find its pace again, every day and much more.

“I was really amazed“, as stated by Roberto Da Rin during his trip to the island “the direct reflexes of the Municipality of Rhodes for the rapid restart of tourism on the island and also the unique Rhodian hospitality.

As he even pointed out “Hospitality is a word born in Rhodes. And the last lady you meet on the street will greet you and smile at you. Everyone is excellent».

He also liked that they have already started planting trees in the burnt areas as well as all the organization that has been done on this part.

The journey of the Italian journalist has a double nature. He intends to write two articles: one will refer to the case study of Rhodes, which dynamically took the situation into its own hands and acted immediately to restore the tourist product to its previous state, and the other will concern a tribute to Rhodes, which is a timeless one of the most important destinations for Italians, as a tourist destination with its outstanding natural beauty, monuments, attractions, history and culture.

During his stay in Rhodes, Roberto Da Rin met with the Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Athanasios Vyrini, who reported to him all the actions of the municipal authority to restart tourism in Rhodes, as well as with the executives of the Tourism Directorate, who organized the his trip to Rhodes, offering him rich informative material, both printed and digital.

Specifically, Mr. Vyrinis listed in time the actions of the Municipality of Rhodes on the specific issue which are:

  • The provision of accommodation spaces for the guests who evacuated the hotels as well as the coordination of their management and service with the valuable help of the volunteers
  • The cooperation with the EOT (and by extension the Ministry of Tourism) on press trips (with transport and accommodation expenses of the EOT) which focuses on the tour and guidance of journalists, bloggers, correspondents to the attractions of Rhodes (all of which are unchanged)
  • The cooperation of the Mayor (in synergy with Hoteliers, Agents) with the main tour operators for the safe continuity of hosting guests in almost all the accommodations
  • The construction of a television spot that presents the unique beauties of the entire island of Rhodes
  • The activation of all bloggers who have come to the island by updating the digital material concerning Rhodes on the blogs & sites they manage
  • Cooperation with airlines for the smooth development of tourist traffic
  • In the five days he stayed in Rhodes, he toured the island from one end to the other, recommending to the readers of “Il Sole 24 Ore” the classic sights of Rhodes, but also some other special corners of the island.

Visited and of course toured the Medieval City, Grand Master’s Palace and Rhodes Archaeological Museum, walked in Lindos, Lindos Acropolis and traditional village of Lindos, then visited Tsambika Beach, Seven Springs, Antony Queen Bay and the Kallithea Springs.

He did not fail to go up to Filerimos, to see the archaeological site of Ialyssos, Kamiros, the Castle of Crete, to walk in the beautiful Valley of Butterflies. He also visited the Acropolis of Rhodes on Monte Smith Hill, the new town of Rhodes, the Aquarium of Rhodes and the Gallery of Modern Art.

His tour guide on the island all days was Ifigenia Kaloudi from the Association of Certified Guides of the Dodecanese.

Roberto Da Rin’s successful trip was supported by local businesses such as: Rodos Palace, Association of Certified Dodecanese Guides, Queen Rental, Romeo restaurant, Kalypso restaurant–Lindos, Argo restaurant- Charaki, Marine Park – Blutopia, Cultural Association of Koskinians “The Kallithea”, Natura Rodos, Estate- Winery Anastasia Triantafyllou.