Popular holiday hotspots such as Greece, Italy and Portugal have all been placed on on high alert in recent weeks due to extreme temperatures, which have created the conditions for devastating wildfires.

For the past 10 days, the Greek island of Rhodes has been ravaged by these fires, which tore across southern and central areas of the island destroying homes and hotels, and sparking the largest evacuation operation in Greece’s history.

Wildfires were also reported in Corfu and Evia, and on the Greek mainland, while the islands of Crete and Samos were placed on "very high fire risk" alert by local authorities.

“Climate change is not a myth, it’s an undeniable reality knocking on our doorstep,” Eleni Skarveli, UK director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO), told TTG. “In the Mediterranean region, we need to apply sustainable solutions to every single aspect of the tourism field.”

Elsewhere, in Italy, fires forced the Sicilian airports of Palermo and Catania to close temporarily, while services to the Sardinian airport of Olbia were diverted after the runway there became too hot for aircraft to land. 

Elsewhere, firefighters have fought blazes in Gran Canaria, in the hills around Cascais near Lisbon, and close to Nice airport in southern France.

According to Skarveli, Greece has led the way on sustainable tourism though its Sustainable Greece platform, which showcases a range of green initiatives, as well as holidays and experiences, designed to encourage travel to the country “in a way that benefits and enhances local communities and natural beauty”.

“Let today’s challenge ignite collective determination to protect and preserve nature, [and] ensure vibrancy for generations to come,” Skarveli added.

Greece is far from the only Mediterranean country having these conversations and taking steps to promote more sustainable travel, with efforts ongoing in Spain and Italy.

Spreading the load

Manuel Butler, UK director at the Spanish Tourist Office, told TTG the tourism board had shifted its focus to encouraging holidaymakers to visit outside peak summer periods some time ago.

“We tend to focus our marketing strategy on the shoulder and low seasons rather than the peak summer months,” he said. “This isn’t specifically related to the hot weather, but more to spread tourism arrivals throughout the year, which is more sustainable from a tourism perspective.

As part of its push towards sustainable tourism, the tourism office has launched several initiatives, including a new sustainability hub aiming to showcase the country’s tourism initiatives. Other initiatives include hosting its first Sustainability Day earlier this year.

The Spanish government, meanwhile, had pledged €3.4 billion (£2.9 billion) to transform the sector, supporting local and regional destinations with their sustainability initiatives.

In Italy, the national tourist board told TTG autumn had now become its busiest season after a concerted effort to promote travel during low and shoulder periods.

“Infrastructure and hotels for beach and sea holidays are now opening for longer, sometimes until the beginning of November in the south,” said the the tourism board’s head of UK and Ireland, Flavio Zappacosta.

Zappacosta said other sustainability initiatives included boosting tourism to lesser-known and lesser-visited destinations, and encouraging use of other means of travel, including high-speed trains, to reduce reliance on flying.

He added promoting travel during all seasons and to lesser-known destinations not only helped the environment, but would “help financial sustainability and spread incomes from tourism in different places in Italy".