Cyprus expects higher tourist arrivals from Russia

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) estimates that the numbers of tourists from Russia will increase in the coming months, despite the 19,3% overall decline tourist arrivals experienced in February.
The CTO says that the 19.4% rise in arrivals from Russia is encouraging and notes that it was achieved thanks to the implementation of a CTO development plan for winter tourism addressed to the Russian market.
Furthermore CTO estimates that 2009 will be a difficult year for tourism, given the international recession and the fall in arrivals from Britain and Germany.
The Organisation notes that Cypriots living in Greece who arrived in February 2008 in Cyprus to vote for the presidential elections were also considered as tourists, and they were included in the statistics. According to available data, arrivals from Greece had fallen 27,9% in February 2009.
CTO adds that Cyprus Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism as well as the CTO are carrying out intensive contacts in the island’s main feeder tourist markets such as Britain, Russia, Germany and Sweden.
The Cypriot Minister of Commerce Antonis Paschalides together with CTO President Panos Eglezos are expected to have significant contacts on the sidelines of the Berlin International Tourism Exhibition, that starts on Wednesday, aiming to achieve important agreements with the biggest tour operators.
Cyprus will also participate in the Moscow Intourmarket-2009, as an honoured country.