Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios has said “we do not allow ourselves to consider that this year`s tourist season is over since there are still three months and Cyprus is open.”
Perdios was addressing members of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Trade, Industry and Tourism on Tuesday.
The Deputy Minister also pointed out that the results of September, October and November were not yet final, saying that in case Cyprus opens for Russia’s and Israel’s markets in the coming weeks there will be interest.
At the same time, Perdios stressed that the target is still for 20% of the tourist arrivals of 2019 and noted that the epidemiological picture in Cyprus is stable, something which will allow country to safely be open for tourism in the next three months.
Additionally, the Deputy Minister of Tourism said that no one expects a return to the tourist arrivals of 2019 before 2023 or 2024, stressing that the course of tourism will be difficult in the coming years.
“Currently no one can make predictions or set specific goals for 2021”, said Perdios.
He also announced that instead of the tourist exhibitions which usually take place, there would be contacts with all the airlines that cooperate with Cyprus but also with new airlines.
He also said that what the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need to accelerate, even more, actions in the framework of National Tourism Strategy.
The Deputy Minister also noted that more importance should be given to individual tourism in order to enhance the country’s product, adding however that Cyprus as a small country still needed the tour operators.
Source: In-Cyprus
