Difficult year for tourism, but damage contained

Although 2013 has been a difficult year for tourism, timely interventions on behalf of the government have minimiszed the damage caused after the March Eurogroup decision on Cyprus, Tourism Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said at the 59th annual meeting of the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents (ACTA).
Referring to the developments in Syria, the Minister noted that in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation is monitoring developments and taking every necessary action to convey the message that Cyprus remains a safe tourist destination.
He also announced that the government plans to reduce the guarantee amount needed for travel agencies, due to the current economic situation in Cyprus.
Lakkotrypis said he has signed a draft bill providing for a decrease of the bank guarantee for travel agencies to 20,000 euro.
Referring to winter tourism, he assured the members of the ACTA that the government and the CTO were making every effort to boost this economic sector and soon will have tangible results.
According to the statistical service, revenues from tourism reached 202,1 mln euros in May compared to 214,3 mln in the corresponding month of the previous year, a decrease of 5,7%.
For the period January – August, arrivals totalled 1,637,792 compared to 1,728,762 in the corresponding period of 2012, a decrease of 5.3%.