Tourism Deputy Minister: Summer arrivals to be same as last year or even better

Tourist arrivals will be at the same levels as last year's summer season and might even be better, Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios said Monday, after a meeting he had with AKEL Secretary General Stephanos Stephanou, who presented his party`s proposals to boost the sector.

During the meeting they discussed ways and means for Cyprus` industry to cope with the consequences of the war in Ukraine. Cyprus was expecting a total of 800,000 arrivals from Russia and Ukraine this season.

Perdios told the press that this possibility was foreseen at the end of January, before the Russian invasion, adding that the efforts focus on attracting 200,000-250,000 arrivals from other markets. He said however that the loss from Russia and Ukraine cannot be covered from other markets.

According to the Deputy Minister, the goal of having a summer season at the same level as last year remains feasible. He added that last year`s performance was one of the best in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, even if arrivals from the UK, Israel and the Scandinavian countries did not meet the number that were anticipated. Perdios said that tourist flows from these markets are expected this year and "this is whre our optimism stems from."

Commenting on AKEL`s proposals he said that they are approached with an open mind.

As regards local tourism Perdios said that a package to support it will be tabled before the Cabinet next Wednesday. He said that the package includes funded vacations for permanent residents from May until end of July across the island.