In Europe, against the background of a ban on flights to / from Russia, not only the Greek but also the Cypriot authorities began to look for alternative tourist markets. After saying their “no” to many Russian vacationers, they were faced with the acute question: “Who will replace the many Russian vacationers?”.
Cypriot Transport Minister Yannis Carusos said authorities hoped to minimize the impact of the ban on Russian flights on the island’s overall economy by increasing tourism from other countries. Explaining that after the statement of Turkey – a direct competitor – to refuse to impose similar sanctions, the same official called on the Greek Foreign Ministry to carefully consider and reconsider the decision to close the airspace for Russian airlines.
In addition, the Minister noted that the responsible authorities of the island are working with airlines to provide more opportunities for travelers from other destinations that have not previously tended to vacation in Cyprus. “We are doing everything possible to compensate for any impact of this decision,” he added.
Russia is one of the largest tourist markets in Cyprus. Only this year, the authorities of the latter predicted an increase in passenger traffic from Russia to Cyprus and vice versa. Thus, it was estimated that the total number of tourists traveling between the two countries during 2022 would be more than 1 million. However, given the current situation, the authorities plan to attract vacationers from other countries and support their tourism-stricken tourism sector. “We expect that 60 airlines offering flights connecting our country with the rest of the world will benefit from the project in the first half of 2022,” he added.
“Russia is currently at war in Ukraine, so there will be a ban on airspace or not, but we will most likely not see tourists from Russia and Ukraine this summer. Our efforts are now focused on attracting new markets to the island to fill the gap left by the markets of Russia and Ukraine, “Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulidis was quoted as saying by local media.
According to Carusos, the sanctions imposed on Russia will reduce by about 15 percent of the total passenger traffic in 2022, by about 1.6 million passengers.
The Cypriot authorities expect the travel and tourism sector to register positive dynamics this summer. For example, the government plans to expand ties with Saudi Arabia, recently visited by President Nikos Anastasiades, and France, a country that, according to Perdios, “shares many common values and interests with Cyprus.”
On the other hand, officials explained that the traffic light system will not go anywhere in the near future and will be used for those who are not sick and have not prolonged vaccination against coronavirus. Cyprus has already abolished its additional entry rules for all travelers who have been vaccinated or have recovered from covid. Thus, the Cypriot authorities have announced that all travelers who prove that they have received all the necessary doses of vaccine with an approved drug, as well as those who have recently contracted covid, are no longer required to be tested before or after arrival, regardless of country which they enter.
IATA forecasts
Earlier, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that in 2024 tourism activity in Europe will reach 103 percent of its pre-pandemic level. According to IATA, in 2022 the number of travelers will compensate for about 83 percent of the 2019 level. In addition, 94 percent will be filled in the current 2022. By 2025, according to the Association, the number of travelers will completely exceed the pandemic level and reach 111 percent. In addition, it was noted that the number of foreign travelers will increase to 9 percent in 2022, 82 percent in 2023 and 92 percent in 2024.
Earlier, the DIP wrote that “Russian tourism in Turkey and Egypt is destroyed: tour operators can not pay hotels for already paid tours.”