“Later after several hours by the pool and sitting at our villa bar having an early evening drink we see a group of men walking along the road — sadly we know this means that this afternoon more boats have arrived so the respite for those working so hard to help was short lived.”

As she prepared to leave the island at end of her vacation, Ms. Frazer-Wise reflected: “It’s been important to do all we can to help but it’s also important for us to have a holiday. However it’s hard to make that decision and far from easy. Especially as everyone is working so hard and struggling for any help offered. But at least we know we have done something.”

Update | Wednesday, July 8

Anna Holligan, a BBC correspondent who has been covering the refugee crisis in Lesbos, produced a video report on Wednesday which shows one example of tourists from northern Europe offering help to asylum-seekers from Syria who arrived on the island this week.