Cyprus expects to welcome four million tourists in 2018 in what will be “another exceptional record year”, according to Tourism Minister George Lakkotrypis.
This is what he told the World Travel Market, held in London, which opened its gates to tourism professional from around the globe.
Cyprus is represented at the three-day event by tens of co-exhibitors under the umbrella of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), headed by the Minister.
On Monday evening, Lakkotrypis addressed the annual reception organised by the Ministry, CTO and the High Commission in London.
More meetings with airlines and tour operators are scheduled for Tuesday, before the Minister wraps up his visit to the exhibition with a press conference.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Lakkotrypis stressed the importance of the World Travel Market.
“We all know the importance of tourist arrivals from the UK. They hold even more importance this year, in the light of the ongoing talks on Brexit and what will happen after March 2019.”
He is holding a series of meetings with tour operators and airlines in order to listen to their views about 2019 onwards.
“We also want to listen to any risks they might see and what we can all do together to alleviate any negative effect that Brexit might have on arrivals to our country from the UK,” said the Minister.
Lakkotrypis said 2018 is shaping up to be another exceptional record year, “during which we will touch the number of 4 million tourists, a number that a few years ago seemed like science fiction”.
“It is even more important because 2018 was a year that all our competitors functioned at the highest possible degree, and that proves that Cyprus can stand competitively against these countries.”
The Chairman of CTO Angelos Loizou said Cyprus’s exhibiting space in this year’s World Travel Market have been revamped, and there has been a great interest in the country.
“There is interest by foreign journalists who want to learn about Cyprus, about our goals, our strategy, the sustainable growth that we are promoting,” Loizou told the Cyprus News Agency.
Loizou also admitted that Brexit is a cause of some concern.
“We cannot make plans as we don’t currently know how Brexit will be delivered, whether it will be a hard or a soft Brexit. Whatever the case, however, in our discussions with tour operators and airlines we have said that we will cover any possible problems altogether.”
Cyprus received a record 3.6 million tourists in 2017.
