The Greek tourism minister has insisted that her country is safe to visit, despite firefighters on the island of Rhodes battling flames burning for the 10th day straight.

Olga Kefalogianni also told CGTN that her government would establish an observatory for climate change in the Mediterranean region as new blazes overnight erupted on the mainland, destroying farms and factories.

Kefalogianni offered an upbeat assessment, in contrast to the fears of many of her compatriots that the Greek tourism industry will be decimated as people choose to holiday in colder climes. 

She said: "Of course, I understand that anyone vacationing would not envision going through such situations. But it's important to understand that we're going through this climate crisis….we faced extreme heat and extreme wind, which in combination was a very extreme situation to handle."

She added: "It's very important to know that even in extreme situations, even in extraordinary situations, you would be safe in Greece."

Kefalogianni said Greece had been a "pioneer" in sustainable tourism and would strengthen its eco credentials. 

"When it comes to tourism, we're setting an observatory for climate change in the Mediterranean region and absorbing European funds in order to get in place specific policies to make sure that Greek tourism is sustainable and that all hotels in Greece will be sustainable by 2035."

The minister called on all nations to take similar measures and praised the efforts of emergency services and volunteers in limiting the damage. 

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The blazes across the country, which have been supercharged by strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), killed a further two people in central Greece on Wednesday, taking the death toll from the fires to five.

Wildfires are frequent in Greece during the summer but higher temperatures and dryer weather which scientists attribute to climate change have turned the country into a Mediterranean hotspot. The fire brigade said more that 500 wildfires have burned in Greece so far this year.

On Rhodes, where more than 20,000 foreign visitors and locals fled seaside hotels and homes over the weekend, fires were beginning to abate.

"Disruption only took place in a very particular area in the island, so not everyone vacationing on the island of Rhodes was affected," said Kefalogianni. "It was only 10 percent of people vacationing that were evacuated. Even under these extraordinary circumstances we made sure that their safety and the safety of the people in Rhodes was the priority."

Officials have ordered the evacuation of several communities in the hard-hit area of Magnesia, a coastal area north of Athens.

The body of a 45-year old shepherd was found in a rural area on Wednesday evening, the fire brigade said. Earlier, authorities had found the body of a woman, state TV ERT said. Both deaths were attributed to the fires.

In Sesklo, a village near the coastal port city of Volos, the regional capital, the charred remains of a cow could be seen on a farm as locals coached away other cattle.

Late on Wednesday flames threatened the industrial zone of the city of Volos, while a wildfire flared closes to the nearby city of Lamia. Residents of several settlements were told to leave their homes.

Firefighters were also tackling a new blaze near the town of Kymi on the island of Evia, where two pilots were killed on Tuesday when their plane crashed into a hillside as it was dropping water onto the flames.

Large areas of the Mediterranean have sweltered under an intense summer heatwave in recent days, and firefighters have been battling to put out blazes across the region, from Portugal to Sicily to Algeria.

The risk of fire remained "extreme" for several areas of Greece on Thursday, the fire brigade said.

Interview by Evangelo Sipsas. 

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