The fact that Cyprus was one of the first countries to open to the Russian market tourists seems to have given the country a strong lead, as it is ranked as the second most popular destination for Russian tourists. According to the executive director of the Union of Tour Operators of Russia Maya Lomindze, until September, 400 thousand Russian tourists traveled to Cyprus, bringing the island to the second place of the most popular destinations for Russia. In the corresponding period of 2019, the arrivals of Russian tourists amounted to 654.500. As a result, the performance for the Russian market this year is around 60% of 2019. According to the latest data from the Statistical Services, for the month of September alone, almost 89 thousand Russian tourists arrived in Cyprus and amounted to 26,2, XNUMX% of total tourist arrivals.
Until June
In detail, in first place is Turkey with 3,3 million trips, in second place Cyprus with 400 thousand, followed by Egypt with 350 thousand, the United Arab Emirates with 320 thousand and the Maldives with 180 thousand Russian tourists. In total, for the first half of 2021, Russian tourists made 5,24 million trips abroad, however the volume of outbound tourist traffic is far behind the indicators of 2019. Cyprus was among the most popular destinations for Russia until June . In particular, it was the second most popular destination among Russian tourists with 172.671 Russian visitors to the island from January to June. In the first place was again Turkey with around 806 thousand tourists, while in the third place was Greece (32,650).
After October
However, Russian tourists also moved to Cyprus in October, maintaining satisfactory percentages in the occupancy of hotels, mainly in the province of Famagusta. However, by the end of October, the picture seems to be changing significantly, while a number of hotels are already preparing to suspend their operations from November until next summer. However, according to the Larnaca airport flight schedule, flights from Russia are significantly reduced in the first week of November, continuing the downward trend that began in early September. Specifically, in Larnaca in the last week of October, flights from Russia amount to 58, while a week later they decrease to 30. It is recalled that October entered with 73 flights per week from Russia, while by the end of November flights are reduced to 19. Similar image prevails at Paphos airport.
After October
The data in the flight schedule of the two airports confirm the estimates of the national network of travel agents of Russia. In both cases there is a decrease in travel to Cyprus. In particular, according to Russia's national network of travel agents, in September the demand for international travel increased by 25-40% compared to the corresponding period of 2020. However, Cyprus loses the second place in the preferences of Russian tourists for travel. of the autumn season. Turkey remains in first place with 57% market share, while a significant increase seems to be recorded by Egypt, which accounts for 17% of bookings.
kathimerini.com.cy