Perdios: This year's tourist year is better than last year (VIDEO)

Cowardly, tourism in Cyprus has started to reopen with 2021 being definitely at better levels compared to 2020.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios, spoke at Mesimeri kai Kati, referring to both this year's tourist year and the "green pass".
He initially stressed that for no reason are we talking about a lost summer, "we have 65 markets open".

"We have made many facilities, Cyprus has long been considered open, from March 1st for the European Union and from April 1st for non-EU countries," he said.

At the same time, he clarified that in the corresponding period last year the destination was closed.

He added that since April we have had arrivals from Israel and Russia, while he stressed that on Monday (10/5) we had the first arrivals from Scandinavian countries through chartered flights.

"We see that the interest for Cyprus is constantly increasing, so the interest for flights is also increasing, the important thing for us is that we are open," he said.

"From our main markets, such as Russia, we are waiting for the green light for the charter flights to start, while from the British side we have not yet been classified in the green category, and the purpose is to enter there if our epidemiological image allows," he said. .

He then spoke about the green pass, clarifying that the EU needs another 3-4 weeks to implement it.

"That is why we insisted so much on Cyprus from an early age to determine the framework through which one can come to Cyprus. Cyprus will already implement what the green pass will apply with a small exception for people who have antibodies and have become ill. "This facility will be added when it is added to the green pass next month," he said.

He later stressed that Cyprus will have a better year than last year, but it will certainly not be at the level of 2019.
"The overall recovery of tourism will last until 2024," he said.

"We have a season ahead of us that we call the bridge for the resumption of tourism in 2022. 2022 is expected to be the year of the resumption of tourism, 2021 is the transitional year of the tragic 2020 with the resumption of 2022."

Source: Sigmalive