Despite the fact that there was obvious optimism last year for this summer, however, the pandemic has changed the plans of tourism agents. On the one hand, the "Delta" mutation, which seems to be gaining ground towards the creation of a new global wave, and on the other hand, the vaccination program, which has not progressed as expected, have pushed our country backwards in the race for tourism profits. This is because the traditional and important markets, Russia and the United Kingdom, remain tightly closed with a few exceptions of a relatively small number of Russian tourists who have made their appearance on the island.
Tough competition…
And while our country is sitting on burning coals awaiting decisions from the two countries for the green light for the outflow of tourists, last Tuesday the decision of Russia to "open" for Turkey, a country that is perhaps the main competitor of our country, in terms of Russian tourists. From the very first day, Antalya was expecting forty-four flights with a total of 12,2 thousand tourists from Russia. According to Turkish reports, Turkish tourism professionals expect one million Russian tourists this year, with an increase in arrivals from July 1st.
Russian experts even traveled to Turkey and visited Turkish hotels to check on the health protocols they apply, which led to a decision on June 18 to lift the restrictions and resume flights. It is noted that Turkey was the most popular Russian holiday destination in 2019, with 7 million arrivals. In 2020, amid a pandemic, more than 2,7 million Russian tourists chose Turkey as their holiday destination. In the first four months of 2021, more than 550.000 Russians also vacationed in Turkey, compared to 317.000 in the same period in 2020. According to Russian tour operators, demand for Turkey is already very high, which is not going to happen. leave unaffected Cyprus, which as a destination thus comes in second place.
On the other hand, the United Kingdom continues to impose strict restrictions, while as of the dawn of June 30, Malta, the Balearic Islands of Spain and Madeira in Portugal along with other destinations, including Caribbean islands, are on the "green" list.
Hotels open, but…
For their part, hoteliers see their hopes for this year vanishing. The next day of the three days of the Flood found many of them counting their losses and thinking until they put a padlock for the rest of the summer season. On the one hand, the termination of the domestic tourism incentive plan and, on the other hand, the completion of the support plan for employees, seem to leave no other choice. According to what the President of PASYXE Famagusta, Doros Takkas, told "S", the hotels are currently operating at a loss and the only reason they remain open is for the support of their staff. Many of them, based in the British or even the Russian market, work with enough rooms to remain empty, while the President of PASYXE Famagusta warns that if this situation continues until July, many hotels will be forced to close.
The Director of ETAP Famagusta Lakis Avraamidis told "S" that next week is crucial, especially regarding the decisions of foreign countries for green categorization of Cyprus. The key, he said, is Russia, as the United Kingdom appears to be moving further and further away.
Vaccination is the "key"
Both the Minister of Transport, Giannis Karousos, and the Minister of Finance, Konstantinos Petridis, stressed last Friday in their statements that the key to returning to normalcy and including Cyprus in the green list of other countries is vaccination. Giannis Karousos said that in the last month a serious effort is being made for the epidemiological data to convince the United Kingdom and Russia for the inclusion of Cyprus in the green category. However, the cases of the last days but also the non-coverage of the vaccination program, mainly at a young age, make the effort difficult, with the result that Cyprus remains in the red.
By Marinos Pavlikkas, "Today" of Sunday (27/6/2021)