The marina could accommodate conferences and cruises, turning the region into a multi-purpose location, Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios said at the Famagusta Business Forum.

“We have admired this fantastic marina and the building we were in; I think it is something innovative for the Famagusta area.

“This gem is not only for yachting, restaurants…it has an opportunity to attract to the region special types of tourism, such as conferences, cruises.”

The region should take advantage of the grant schemes of the Tourism Ministry, said Perdios, “especially for the special types of tourism, for the winter months, so that the region of Famagusta can become a year-round tourist destination”.

He said this year’s tourism results did not start badly as the first four months reached 70% compared to pre-coronavirus 2019.

“Considering that in these four months, the war in Ukraine started and there was an outbreak of the Omicron variant, this outcome is not bad.

“Observing the internet searches related to holidays in Cyprus, there is increased interest.”

“We have attracted new markets to Cyprus and markets that we may have omitted in recent decades, such as Germany, Austria, Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, and France.

“We are optimistic. We understand that this area suffers more than others, but tourism nowadays needs flexibility, and nothing should be taken for granted.”

Perdios said it would be wrong to consider 2019’s record four million tourist arrivals as a starting point for each year.

Source: Financial Mirror