The summer of 2023 has been hard on the Greek island of Rhodes. The reason for this was the devastating forest fire season, which surprised holidaymakers and locals alike with its intensity in midsummer - and caused chaos. And it wasn't just Greece that burned last summer; Portugal, Spain and Italy were also affected by forest fires. This year in many holiday destinations the motto is: New Year, new luck. But forest fires are almost a part of summer due to the increasing heat periods in southern European holiday destinations.

While locals have now found solutions and ways to deal with the danger, holidaymakers still find it difficult to come to terms with the threat of forest fires at their travel destination. This is also shown by a current study by the comparison portal “HolidayCheck”. According to this, 80 percent of travelers make sure that the risk of extreme weather and natural disasters at their destination is as low as possible when booking their vacation. More than half of those surveyed also specifically avoid regions where forest fires recently occurred or only travel there in the off-season.

The analysis company A3M actually publishes the Travel Risk Map every year, which assesses the safety of travelers worldwide based on various sources of danger, from terrorism and war to health risks and natural disasters. This year, the company has also created its own forest fire risk map for the first time. It shows all the regions in which there were fires last summer. Roughly speaking, the risk of forest fires is greatest in the summer around the Mediterranean.

Knowing this can be a first aid. But the experts at HolidayCheck have even more tips for a holiday without worrying about the next big forest fire on your doorstep.